I Don't Want to be Cliche
by thedin0
Summary: Cliche- An idea so overused it loses its original meaning or effect; stereotype. Cammie's always been told who she was should be- a perfect girl who made good grades, was pretty, was athletic and musically inclined. Cammie tried to be Cliche, but it's getting harder, and soon she's going to have to make a choice. One she's not sure she can make, at least not alone. AU, R&R please.
1. Chapter 1

Somtimes Cammie wanted to run away. It just all got to be too much for her to bear sometimes. Her life confused her so much that she really didn't know what to do- what to think, how to act, what to say, what to eat.. Who to be. She lied awake that night, pondering that question, _the_ question. Who am I, really? She knew who she was expected to be, because she was told everyday all about Cliche Cammie. Cliche was perfect, in every way- she was someone Cammie could never come close to being. Cliche did everything right; she got good grades, she was the perfect height, the perfect weight, the perfect person. Cliche was an athlete, a singer, a dancer, an actress, a musician, an artist- And most of all? Cliche was everything Cammie wasn't.

Every night Cammie looked at the ceiling, pondering her life question. Should I be Cliche, or should I not? This night Cammie let out a small bitter laugh. _Who am I, really?_ Maybe being Cliche was the answer that would solve all of her problems. Cammie could become the next Amber Toting- Queen Bee of Parker High, the next Selena freaking Gomez- Cliche Cammie could've been anything. But Cammie couldn't be Cliche. Cammie was average in every way- not outstanding, not horrific- just average. Average dishwater blond hair, average hazel eyes, average 5'8 height, average A's and B's- just average. Cammie liked that, and when she was alone she cherished it. When she was alone she wouldn't have anyone buzzing in her ear- _Why don't you play setter for the volleyball team? Why don't you stunt flier for the school cheer team? Why don't you play the flute? Why don't you paint this fruit bowl I got you? Why don't you join the cast of Glee? Why don't you- _Cammie wanted to yell, to scream, but she couldn't.

Everyday she went to school, and came back physically and mentally exhausted. From trying to be as smart as Liz Sutton, from trying to run as fast as Bex Baxter, from trying to be as pretty as Macey McHenry, from trying to get Zach Goode to notice her in that special way. She was exhausted from trying to be as likable as Lexi Cannon. The worst part- they were her friends. They were nice, yeah sure. They loved Cammie for who she was, even when Cammie herself didn't. But unintentionally- they stole Cammie's spotlight and hid her in the shadows. They were onstage, shaking hands and kissing babies. Cammie was backstage, trying out for every role to be found- superpopular, mega-strong, cheetah fast, Sutton smart, Cannon likable, Baxter funny, Cliche Cammie. But none of that seemed to fit her.

Cammie was settling in for sleep. Nestling deeper into her bed, turning over to her side, closing her eyes that were so heavy she probably wouldn't be able to open them up again. Cammie's body was sleeping, sure- but her brain wasn't, not yet. It slowly ran through Cammie's thoughts- Why do people expect me to be Cliche? Can they see something in me that I can't? If I became Cliche I would have the perfect life. I'd be on the stage with everyone else, shaking hands, kissing babies, with every eye on me. But is that really what I want? Do I really want to be cliche?

Cammie's brain was slowing down- completely lost in sleep for the first time in a long time. She flipped onto her stomach and shifted her head. The last thought she had before she fell into sleeping paradise was short, and it was small. It was feeble, but it was there. When Cammie woke up, she wouldn't remember it, but in the back of her brain, it was there- _I don't want to be Cliche._

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_Hey guys! This is -technically- my first story! I had two unfinished ones but they accidentally got deleted. Anyway- tell me what you think in a review! Is it worth continuing? Should I trash it? Review and I'll love you forever- Sorry Pigeon. INSIDER ALERT.. _

_Random fact one: I am a Swiftie for life. __Random fact two: I'm getting braces in 8 months. __Random fact three: I live in Texas._

_Love you all x_

_-din0_


	2. Chapter 2

Cammie sat up in bed and glanced at the alarm clock next to her. 7:01 AM. Cammie stared at it a little while longer, then flinched. Oh God she was late, Macey was going to kill her. Cammie tripped out of bed and lunged at her phone before hitting the ground. _Ow._ She reached up and checked her alerts- 14 missed calls from Macey, and a text from both Bex and Macey. Cammie glanced over Bex's message first, which said; _Macey is mad at you_. Cammie rolled her eyes, N_o duh Sherlock_. She squinted while reading Macey's message but it wasn't that bad. Only 30 angry emoticons and finally the description of Cammie's back to school outfit. Cammie sighed and rummaged through her closet, finally finding the chosen blouse and jeans. How did Macey even memorize Cammie's wardrobe in the first place? The girl must've been one supergenius baby.

Cammie took a quick shower and blow-dried her hair. Pulling a brush through it and tying it up an a loose but elegant bun Cammie felt comfortable. She pulled on the outfit set on her bed and brushed on some quick minimal makeup before putting on her drawstring backpack and picking up her school work. Cammie grabbed a donut on the way out and then rushed to meet Bex, Macey, Lexi, and Liz at the front walk. Cammie took a bite of her donut, chewed, then swallowed. "Leggo." Lexi shrugged her shoulders as if to say, _What can we do?, _and Cammie smiled.

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Walking through the hallways was always a big deal for Cammie. Anything could happen to her, even with a friend by her side. It's not like it had never happened to her- pushing, shoving, laughter, pointing. These days though, there wasn't much of that, because she had become sort of popular. There was always gossip, and Cammie could deal with that- but the stares made Cammie burn inside. If they didn't want to say it to her face it would have to be bad, but if they didn't have to even say it? If they could just communicate through looks? _Hey, here comes Cammie, lets stare at her while we **think** about how rude and ugly and obnoxious and- _It would have to be a school-wide opinion about Cammie, something so bad that not one person would have been able to change their minds. Today wasn't any better than the rest. She ignored the side glances and glares as she chatted with Zach and dodged a fake punch from Bex. Well, knowing Bex it might not have been that fake. Cammie knew she would get used to the jealous (or hateful) stares aimed at her, and inside she maybe felt relieved. It wasn't so long ago when those stares had held a different meaning.

Cammie shrugged it off and walked into Calculus. This was her favorite subject but today something just didn't feel right. She kept zoning out thinking about Cliche. She thought about Cliche a lot but never during Calculus. Today Cammie just wanted to go home. Have another donut, or maybe some lasagna. Just food in general actually. Cammie breezed through lunch, grabbing a slice of pizza and a brownie. She had expected so much more out of being a teenager but it wasn't what she expected it to be at all. Sure, she should've been grateful that at least she was semi-popular, and not where she was before. She just felt off- like she either hadn't reached her full potential yet, or she had totally messed up her life.

Cammie was in a daze for the rest of the day, even when most of her friends tried to cheer her up. They probably thought she was tired or sad. But Cammie was just confused. Sometimes Zach would give her these glances- like he knew there was something wrong with her, and he knew she wasn't just tired or sad. It felt like Zach even knew exactly _what_ was wrong with her- and what freaked Cammie out, is that if she didn't know what was wrong, how could he?

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Everyone had gym for last period, even the freshmans. Last period was just like normal gym period at a normal school, but Parker High made it a full out battle-of-the-sexes. Everyday girls would go into their locker room and boys would go into theirs. They would all get changed and then head to their own gyms (there were four- a practice gym and a competition gym for girls and for boys). The separate coaches would tell them which event they were doing that day, and then the students would go out and do it. See, almost everybody that went to Parker High was athletically inclined. The school even required track and field records from the student's previous school before beginning to think about accepting the child. This is why they did all of the Olympic sports at Parker High. Parker was the number one school in the state for track and field and every single trophy since 1967 (the schools founding) was displayed right next to the gymnasiums.

Today would be no different than the rest. Today they were running standard 4x100s, which was an easy feat for almost everyone in the gym- except for Amber Toting, Tina Walters, Eva Alvarez, and Courtney Bauer. They sat at the back of the gym and sighed and mumbled about how ridiculous Parker High was being concerning athletics. The Toting, Walters, Alvarez, and Bauer family had more money than the world- they could afford to do anything and everything. Things like sending their daughters to the number one athletics school in the state of California to be exact. Nobody liked Amber and her friends, but some people worshipped them like there was no tomorrow. They would follow the girls around during classes and run really slow right behind them during gym. It was nauseating.

Cammie and the others jogged out to meet the guys next to the track. Cammie glanced at Zach, Grant, and Jonas and then turned her attention to Coach P. Nobody knew his real name and he had insisted they call him Coach P., so that was what they did. Although some of the more immature boys had decided to call him Coach P. P. Cammie shook her head a little and smiled. She flinched and glanced around, relieved that no one had seen her. Some people overreacted at little things like that, and assumed that Cammie was mental. Yes, Cammie had gone to a shrink before, but that was for anorexia, not something mental. Cammie subconsciously brushed a hand over her stomach relieved that she could feel abs instead of nothing. Cammie had been diagnosed with anorexia at a young age, only 11 years old. She had lost all of her friends throughout middle school because of her wieght and she had been on the verge of depression when she had met her shrink. He was nice to her and she had instantly loved him for that. Not many people had given her a second glance at the time. He helped her get over her anorexia day by day and had enrolled her in Parker High so that she could get some athletics practice. She talked to Dr. Solomon everyday to this day and he was always happy to hear her progress. The day she had gotten over her anorexia, her first bite of a donut, the first signs of her six pack, reaching 100 pounds, etc. He was always there, and she loved him for that.

Cammie shivered a little in her athletics clothes. She sometimes wondered why they made the girls wear real uniforms when they guys didn't. Especially in January, spandex shorts and a T-shirt just wasn't going to do it for her. She ran her hands over the blue and gold jaguar on her shorts, and laughed a little about how it looked identical to the NFL football team the Jacksonville Jaguar. Why would the number one athletics school in California, look just like the NFL football team from Florida? Cammie glanced up and her vision became a little clearer, her friends had pushed their way to the front of the pack. She walked to them through the path that had been cleared for her and ignored the stares. She stood beside Liz, who was the girls track and field manager, and waited for the first group to be called out.

Coach P. talked a little while longer with Coach Townsend, and then moved quickly to the track. He didn't hesitate before glancing at the clip board in his hands and reading off the names.

"Goode- anchor, Newman-third leg, Webb-starter, and Anderson-second leg. Meyer, Reinhart, Schmidt, and Fifer- same order. Got it? Good. Line up boys, lanes three and four. We haven't got all day here. Yes, yes good. Girls! Look at me! No more gossiping about who knows what. This is track time. Girls you are in the same order you better have remembered it, we don't have time for all your gibber jabbering ok? Ok. Morgan, McHenry, Baxter, and Cannon. Morrison, Fetterman, Foyt, and Hunter. I think you know what lanes you are in."

Cammie gaped when her name was called. Anchor? Shouldn't that have gone to Bex? Oh geez, Bex. Cammie turned a little to face Bex but her friends face was suprisingly happy. "Cammie, congrats! You're anchor! I've always wanted to try starter because then I can blame it on everybody else, ahah, yes! Oh my god! Dude I am so happy right now. But, yeah, anchor, okay just run really fast and don't pay attention to anything but the finish line. There's always a lot of pressure and yelling on the anchor but just ignore it." Bex smiled and nudged Cammie towards her place.

Cammie jogged over slowly. That was _not_ what she expected.. She thought Bex would've been mad that Cammie took the number one spot in the relay, after all Bex was a hardcore athlete. Cammie thought about Bex's last sentence. _There's a lot of pressure and yelling, but just ignore it..._ Maybe that applied to being Cliche, maybe being Cliche wasn't all good, like Cammie had said earlier. Cammie shook herself out of it and found Zach standing next to her.

"Hey. Way to make it to anchor, Cammie."

"Says the guy who's anchor all the time."

Zach smirked, "You gotta love me."

Cammie smirked back, "Maybe I don't."

Zach shook his head and Cammie smiled. She walked over to Lane 3 and Zach took his place in Lane 1. Coach P. made some marks on his clipboard and shook his head a few times. He looked up to find almost everybody but Coach Townsend staring at him. "Oh. Follow Coach Townsend, I'm uh busy." Coach P. glanced at his colleague and nodded, then looked back down at his clipboard. He muttered a few things and erased a few names and replaced them with different ones. Cammie winced wondering if he had already lost faith in her anchor skills and had moved Bex back to anchor. Did he doubt her that much? She turned her attention to Coach Townsend, who had just fired a blank out of the pistol in his hand, that was how serious Parker High was- they had pistols.

Cammie shook her head for the second time and got herself ready for her leg of the race. She glanced at Zach a mouthed Good Luck at him, he just smirked at her. Cammie glanced back and watched Lexi take off neck-to-neck with Jonas. "C'mon Lexi." She whispered and miraculously Lexi pulled ahead just a tiny bit. The other two were close behind and Cammie willed Lexi to give Macey a good start. Lexi and Macey nailed the handoff and Cammie crossed her fingers for luck. She started to jog, then glanced behind her. Macey was going fast like a bullet- Cammie didn't even know she had had it in her. She was pulling in front of Grant by a tiny bit, but that was expected. Not everyone could get the best of Grant- even though he wasn't actually a sprinter.

Cammie stuck out her hand and hoped for the best. She felt the metal baton pressed into her hand, grabbed it, and took off. Instantly she could hear the shouting and the yelling that Bex had been talking about. She could pick out the individual cheers of her friends. Macey's broken cheers becuse she was breathing so hard, Liz's feeble voice getting lost in all of it, Lexi's strong voice yelling louder than the rest, Bex's yells as she jumped up and down. Cammie sprinted faster, willing herself to beat Zach. Just by a little. If she lost, she would never hear the end of it. So what if Zach was the very best green eyed hottie out there? She could do this. Cammie rushed past the finish line in a blur and tumbled to the ground. She felt her hair fall out of it's elegant bun that it had started out as. She panted and felt her being lifted up by strong arms. She instictively leaned against them, thinking it was Bex. But it wasn't, it was Trey the anchor for the second string boys team. She flinched and pulled herself away from him a little bit. But her legs felt like jelly. His blue eyes were pulling her in like the bait on a fishing hook, and she was just another helpless little minnow. He cracked a perfect white smile and Cammie smiled back. "You okay?" He asked. Cammie nodded feeling jealous he was able to form a complete sentence without pausing in between for breath.

"I've got her from here." Cammie felt another pair of arms pull her away from Trey and she spun around to meet Zach's emerald green eyes. They held something different she hadn't ever seen inside of them.

"Hey. Hey Zach."

He smirked at her, "Hey Gallagher Girl."

Cammie sighed, still struggling for her breath. That was such an old thing these days, but she sort of liked it. Her mom used to call her that because it was the finishing school that Cammie had always wanted to go to when she was little. The first time Zach had been over to her house, her mom had said, _Ohh Gallagher Girl, is this your new boyfriend?_ She slowly recovered from her breathing fit and saw Bex, Lexi, Macey, and Liz coming at her. She smiled and then noticed Macey's raised eyebrow. Cammie raised one back at her and smiled. Wait.. why would Macey the fashionista and boy-expert raise her eyebrow? Cammie felt Zach's arms tighten around her shoulders and her eyes widened almost comically, Macey grinned wider. As if sensing her sudden discomfort, Zach loosened his arm and then finally dropped it. "Nice race Gallagher Girl." He said, and walked away.

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_Alright, first I gotta say, I'm sorry! I know I promised some people that this chapter would be out yesterday and I know I broke that promise. So feel free to throw the tomatoes and whatever other FRUITS you've got. Because you know, tomatoes are fruits ;) Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter :) In case you didn't know, its January Cammie's first day back to school from winter break. You met her friends sort of, you met Trey and you met ZACHY :) Next chapter is going to be short. Sorry I just don't write long chapters._

_Random fact four: I'm in love with Niall Horan. Ladies, don't touch my man. __Random fact five: Mean Girls is possibly the best movie invented. __Random fact six: I have three instagrams; a One Direction fanpage, an inspirational page, and a personal account._

_Review? x_

_-din0_


	3. Chapter 3

Cammie glanced back at Zach's retreating figure. He walked over to Grant, Jonas, and Nicky. His back was towards her so she watched Nicky's face for signs of what they were talking about. Not the best idea. Nicky was the clueless but adorable and hot guy in the group. He'd gone by Nicky since birth and almost no one called him Nick. Nick was too sophisticated for the tall brown haired blue eyed confused Nicky. Zach reached up to rub the back of his neck and Cammie could almost picture his face. With his geen eyes turning brown like they did when he was angry. His eyes were like a little mood thermometer, and Cammie could read them in a glance. Nicky's confused face turned into a smile and she could hear him laugh. Zach dropped his arm only to shove Nicky into Grant who instantly became annoyed. They got into a shoving match and that was when Cammie turned back around.

Her friends were all standing right next to her. Bex and Lexi were talking excitedly about the outcome of the race, which would come in a few minutes, because it had been really close. Cammie shifted her gaze to Macey who seemed to be staring at one of the boys.. Nicky. Cammie smiled and nudged Macey.

"Hey, Mace, back to life."

"Wha? Oh. I was just, um-"

"Checking out Nicky Webb?"

"Cammie! No. Nuh uh, not happening. Nicky's too... He's just not my type, okay?"

Cammie smiled in the signature Nicky way, "Ever heard that opposites attract?"

Macey shoved Cammie into Lexi and Bex, and Bex immediately shoved back. Cammie could almost picture this turning out like the boy's shoving match. Cammie righted herself and shoved Macey. She spun around and whispered in Lexi's ear. _Macey likes Nickyyyy.._ Lexi widened her eyes and spun around to tell Bex. Bex immediately let out a boyish wolf call and Macey rolled her eyes. "They're watching us, you know."

They all froze for a second and discreetly glanced over. All the guys were watching them. Except Zach, we was standing next to Nicky talking in his ear. Nicky nodded as if he really seemed to understand, but he was staring at Macey. Zach nodded back looking a little lost for a second, he tightened his grip on the bottom of his faded blue shirt hanging slightly over his black mesh shorts. Zach turned to face them and Cammie turned too. "Come on guys, lets go talk to Coach P. or something."

Bex nodded, excited. "I bet we won. You did really good as anchor, by the way, Cammie."

Cammie smiled, "Thanks Bex."

They walked over to Coach P. who was writing something on a different sheet of paper. Probably preparing for the next race. They came to a stop in front of him and he glanced up. "Whadda you want."

Lexi stepped forward automatically, "We wondering about the results to the 4x100 meter dash we just ran." She said and smiled sweetly, adding a little southern touch into her voice. Bex, Macey, and Cammie stifled laughs. The knew how obnoxious Lexi could be.

Coach P. looked at her dumbstruck. Apparently he knew how obnoxious she could be, too. "Um. Go check with Coach T. I mean, Coach Townsend."

Lexi nodded, smiled, and turned around. "Come on guys, lets go. He's right over there."

Cammie followed suit and was feeling pretty excited until she realized just where Coach Townsend was standing. Right in front of the boys. He wasn't facing thehm though, he was reviewing his clip board and a mini screen that would show the last five seconds of the race over and over again, until they reset it. Cammie stopped in her tracks and stumbled a bit. Macey sighed and pushed her forward again. Cammie could almost picture her shaking her head, so she whispered Nicky's name just loud enough for only Macey to hear.

Macey huffed and walked faster, leaving Cammie behind. Cammie yelled after her retreating figure, "You know you love me!"

Cammie smiled at Macey's posture. She could just tell she was annoyed. It was so fun to make Macey annoyed. Cammie laughed to herself, but slowed down approaching the group. She was beginning to lose her confidence. If she walked up there and they had lost, Zach and the others would be right there to harass her about it. Cammie was sure that her friends would be pretty upset about it too. Cammie would be upset, obviously, but she would just have to move on. Get over it. And then the next time they ran a race against eachother she would _win._ Cammie walked up to the group, confidence regained.

Zach turned around, as if feeling her prescence. Cammie smiled slightly at him and he smirked back moving aside to let Cammie stand in front of him. Cammie smiled again and stepped as hard as she could on his foot as she walked by. He wrapped his arms around her neck as if he was about to choke her, pulling her back against his chest. Cammie jabbed her elbow into his stomach, correction- his abs. She could feel all of his toned muscle just beneath his shirt. He grunted and loosened his grip letting his arms drift around her shoulders, like he was her older brother protecting her from danger.

She kind of liked it. To have someone there to protect her no matter what. Someone who wouldn't give up on her through anything. Of course, Cammie didn't have a brother. But if she did he would stick with her. He would never break a promise and always brighten Cammie's day. He would protect her from everything, and he would get mad at any boy that tried to make a move on Cammie. He would defend her and back her up in arguements, even when he knew she was wrong. He would sing awkwardly to make her laugh, he would be her everything. That's how Zach's arms on her shoulders made her feel. She stiffened, her eyes watering a little. She felt Zach's arms tighten pulling her closer, like her dad could've done. If he wasn't dead.

Cammie reached up to wipe a subtle tear on the tip of her lashes. "Cammie..." Zach murmured under his breath, "You okay?" Cammie nodded and a tear fell out of her eye onto the pavement. She stood looking at it a little while longer. Zach's arms tightened even more, nestling her into his chest and Cammie smiled a little. She turned her attention to Coach Townsend, her tears already drying in her eyes.

Coach Townsend glanced up, "This was a good race, first of all. All of you did very good. We'll start at the back. Third place- second string girls. Second place- second string boys."

Cammie frowned. How could two people get first place? That would have to be- "So that leaves one choice, obviously. We have a first place tie."

Grant was the first one to talk. "What?! There has to be a winner. I mean it was obvious that Zach beat Cam-"

Bex spun on him. "Are you blind? Cammie so won. I can't believe I ever thought- Oops."

Cammie rolled her eyes as Lexi stepped in. "Look guys. Let's be rational about this.. We won, and everybody knows it."

Grant shook his head. "Wait, I wanna hear what Bex has to say." He smiled sweetly at Bex and she glared back.

Zach sighed and Cammie felt his breath on the top of her head. "Your friends have some problems, Cammie."

Cammie elbowed him again and rolled her eyes, "Like yours don't Goode."

He nodded. "They don't. I mean there's Grant who loves food, and that's not weird or anything."

Cammie raised an eyebrow even though he couldn't see, "Are you joking? He would marry food if it was legal. I mean honestly Zach, Grant just has some problems." She said the last part loud, so that Grant heard her. He looked over and she nodded, "Zach agrees too, he said so himself. He said 'Grant loves food, and that's not weird or anything.'" Cammie added a little more sarcasm than necessary to Zach's part and he mumbled something that sounded like, _Don't add fuel to the fire Gallagher Girl._

Cammie grinned, "Whatcha gonna do Zachy?" She shifted a little in his grip too, so she could see his face. She smiled innocently at the look in his eyes, they were turning hazel. She pulled one arm out of his grip and pinched his cheek, "Little Zachy poo thinks he can hurt me." She smirked sweetly at him and he swatted her hand away.

"Whatever Cammie. You know you can't resist me." He pretended as if he was about to kiss her, and then stopped and began to laugh. "You should've seen your face Gallagher Girl. It was like.. priceless."

She pushed at his chest, "Leave me alone Goode." She pouted when he wouldn't let her go. "Seriously we're the only ones out here."

Zach shook his head, "Nuh-uh. Grant and Bex are still out here."

Cammie smiled, "I'm almost scared to know what they're doing."

Zach sighed, "You have a dirty mind Cam. They're racing."

"Oh... Right. That's what I was thinking."

Zach nodded, "Right..." He said sarcastically.

Cammie grinned at him, "Totes gurl, totes." He made a face and Cammie laughed.

"C'mon Goode lets go change."

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Cammie shivered a little as she waited for Bex to come pick her up. She had put her hair back into a bun and now her neck felt cold from the wind. She would wear a scarf tomorrow. Of course she would have to borrow one from Macey because she didn't have any "stylish" scarves. If she showed up with the blue one from last year Macey would kill her. Cammie pulled out a green sticky note from her binder and wrote a note to Bex on it saying she would get Macey to give her a ride. Macey had told her she was going to be in drama class. Cammie slapped the sticky note onto the front window of Bex's car and spun around only to run into Zach. "Going somewhere Gallagher Girl?"

He said it as if she was doing something bad. She shook her head, "I'm gonna go talk to Macey about-"

"About her little crush on Nicky Webb?"

Cammie gaped at him. "How did you-"

"Gee its so obvious I wouldn't even call it a secret. Just kidding. I had to use my super spying skills to figure it out, and I finally came to the conclusion that Macey likes Nicky. She's too scared to admit it because she is afraid of rejection and the fact that everyone will make fun of her just like _you _did today in last period." Zach finished it off with a smile.

Cammi shook her head but she had a smile on her face too, "You are really something Zach, but no. I was gonna ask her if I could borrow her brown chenille scarf."

"Oh, okay then. Well, I'll walk you to.. wherever."

Cammie smiled. "Drama class."

She started to walk towards the school's main building and felt Zach catch up with her. They walked until they reached hallway leading to the drama room, and then Zach said, "There is no drama class today though Cammie."

Cammie rolled her eyes in reply. "Sure there is Zach. What would Macey be doing here if there wasn't?"

She asked. But then she thought about it. Macey didn't even take drama, she had said herself that she thought it was for drama geeks. In fact, Macey didn't really need to take acting classes. She was already a really good actress. Cammie stopped and Zach stopped too. "What?"

"I don't think Macey's in drama class."

Zach smirked knowingly, "You don't say."

Cammie shook her head. "We were just talking today in lunch then she told me she was going to take drama. If she's not in drama then what is- oh my god. Stop, just stop. What is Nicky doing right now?"

Zach didn't even hesitate. "Drama class. We were making fun oh him for- oh. Oh wow." Cammie smiled at him and nodded. She wondered what they were doing though. And so was Zach, apparently, "We should so go and catch them doing-"

Cammie covered his mouth with her hand. She pointed to the drama room which was just three doors down. "Lower your voice a little, Goode. Jeez." He nodded innocently and Cammie could feel his breath on her palm. She looked into his eyes watching as they were turned browner by the second. That hazel kind of color that everyone wants. More gold specks appeared the longer she watched, entranced. She watched his chest rise up and down, watching the way his muscles moved. He was wearing a skin tight black shirt with his Parker Jaguars letterman jacket on top. She briefly glanced at his darkwashed Levi's and basketball shoes, then moved her gaze back up to his eyes. He blinked as if he was dazed and then turned around and started walking, still holding Cami's hand. "Za-ach." She pouted.

He turned around again and smiled the tiniest bit unsure, "Come on Cammie lets just go home okay? I'll drive you."

Cammie nodded hesitantly and then followed him to his car. She ran her fingers over the hood slowly and climbed in. "I like." She said, and smiled.

Zach smirked at her, "But you like me more right?"

Cammie smirked back, "Wrong."

"Are you sure? Because just a few minutes ago it seemed like you _really_ liked me."

"What were you looking at the whole time then?" God, Cammie was so screwed. What if he had been looking at the wall or something? She would seem like a total idiot. She should've just denied it.

Zach gave her a crooked smile, "You."

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_Okay, I know this is a pretty crappy chapter so I'm sorry. I adore Nicky though, he's based off of someone I know from real life though. Well, two different people but same difference. I'm trying to get out a chapter a day this week, so I'm sorry if they suck and if they're pretty short. I still love Zach but Nicky is just perf. No joke. I put in some Zammie too. Anyway, I had some fun with this chapter but I gotta ask you guys a question- Should I use Nacey? Or should I make a Preston or maybe put her with Trey or something. Let me know in a review!_

_Random fact seven- "Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive that is youer than you." Dr. Suess. __Random fact eight- My favorite song from Up All Night is Moments. __Random fact nine- I like art, mostly abstract._

_Btw feel free to PM/review anytime you want with suggestions or requests._

_-din0_


	4. Chapter 4

Cammie sucked in a breath. _What did he just say? Did he just say he was looking at **me**?_ Cammie glanced over at Zach, who had just turned his head to watch the road. She could barely see the crease on his forehead, but she could tell he was frowning, just slightly. Cammie shifted awkwardly in the leather seat, "Zach?"

"Yeah." He replied in a sort of monotone.

It made Cammie's heart ache a little bit inside. Like she had just disapointed him so badly he didn't even want to talk to her. And he probably didn't. He had just admitted that he checked her out, like he liked her, and all she had asid was _oh_. After that she had been silent and dumbstruck, for over five minutes. She always managed to mess everything up. Things like talking with the guy she'd had a crush on for a whole year. Ugh, she felt like she was in middle school again. She glanced into the rearview mirror so that she could see his eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." He said in the same voice. "This is your house right?" He asked as he pulled up next to the curb. She wanted to say something so bad but her brain wasn't letting her. The words were on the tip of her tongue but they wouldn't come out. She triple-hated the fact that she always managed to mess everything up. It annoyed her so much because it was always unintentional, and about something that was so important to her that she couldn't mess it up. And then she would mess it up.

Cammie nodded then laughed uncertaintly. "You live two blocks down from me, Zach..?" She stated it as a question. He didn't reply, "Zach? Are you alright?" He didn't say anything, just nodded. Cammie felt her eyes water for the second time that day. She hated her life. She hated it, so much. She had changed her life question from _Who am I?_ to_ Why me?_ She just hated how she managed to mess everything up. She had messed up her whole three years in middle school, she had a messed up family, and now she had messed up her relationship (if you could call it that) with Zach.

Cammie sighed, "Okay, well, thanks for the ride Zach. I'll see you tomorrow." He didn't reply. Cammie awkwardly got out of his car and shut the door. She stood still for a second, staring at her bedroom window. She started up the front walk and heard Zach's car start up. He was leaving her. She reached up to wipe away a stray tear that had slipped out and ducked her head. Cammie fumbled with the lock on the door a little bit. She finally got inside and headed towards her bedroom. She dropped her stuff next to her desk and sat on the edge of her bed, still a little dazed. She barely knew what was happening anymore.

Just fifteen minutes ago she had been staring into Zach's green eyes, and now. Now he was barely talking to her. She couldn't really blame him, she had been an idiot. Cammie heard a slight buzzing sound coming from her purse but she ignored it. She didn't want to talk to anyone at the moment. No one except Zach. She needed to go apologize and tell him she liked him or should tell him the truth. Cammie groaned and fell back onto her bed. Why was she so screwed up?

Cammie phone was still vibrating and buzzing and annoying the heck out of her. She dropped herself off her bed and grabbed her phone, still sitting on the ground. She deserved to be on the ground. She answered, not bothering to look at Caller ID. "Hello."

"Heyy Cammie, what's new?"

"Nothing Macey." She said, the sadness must've come out in her voice though.

"Are you okay? You seem down."

Cammie sighed. "I am down, ok? I'm just, I'm not feeling well is all. And I need to borrow your white scarf."

"Okay then. I'll drop off your the later, text you when."

"Thanks Mace. I've gotta go, see you tomorrow." Cammie hung up, not bothering for a reply. She would prbably get some crap about it from Macey but she didn't care at the moment. She just wanted some sparkly fairy to come fix everything for her. That'd be great. Sparkle-Fairy could get her mom to actually talk to her, not just random hello's when they happened to be at the house at the same time. Her mom was always on buisness trips or whatever the heck she did. She was almost always out of state, usually for over a week. Cammie had learned to deal with it at a young age. Most people though it was a sweet deal; a house to themselves and all the money in the world. See, Cammie's mother sent her weekly amounts of money when she was gone and Cammie simply put it in her savings account for college, even though she was working for a scholarship. Cammie mostly didn't use the extra money, she had all she needed. Sometimes though, she went crazy and spent a bunch of money at the mall. At the moment, thats exactly what she felt like doing.

Cammie contemplated calling Macey, Bex, Lexi, and Liz for an emergency shopping spree. There was no homework and hopefully Macey was done with whatever she was doing with Nicky. It was starting to seem like a pretty good idea, way better than sitting in here room, alone and sulking about Zach. Cammie quickly called Macey, then added Bex, Lexi and Liz to the call.

Once everyone had picked up Cammie got down to buisness, "Guys, emergency shopping spree. Who can make it?"

"I can." Macey replied immediately, "Is this something to do with Zach?" Macey asked.

Cammie shrugged even though she knew Macey couldn't see, "Yeah, maybe it is."

"Oopsie daisies." They heard a thump and an _ow_ from Liz. They all rolled their eyes and sighed. Liz came back on the line, "Sorry about that guys. But yeah my mom said I can make it. I was just going to ask her but I tripped."

"What'd you trip on Lizzie? You should clean up your room then." Bex said.

Liz laughed a little, "Oh, my room's clean. I uh, tripped on the floor that time. Its um, really bumpy."

They all laughed at Liz's clumsiness, and then the laughter dwindled down. "Okay so who's coming and who's not?" Macey asked firmly, taking charge.

"Just a sec guys, lemme ask my mom." Lexi said and they heard and thump as she dropped the phone on the ground. She came back on a few moments later. "Sorry guys, I can't go. I have a dinner party thing at the Walters' house. Ughh I hate Tina. Why is my life so crappy?" Everyone comforted Lexi and said they would buy her some clothes. Personally though, Cammie thought Lexi had it good. Her parents loved eachother and were home all the time, Lexi was pretty and well-liked. She was rich, too, but that was just a bonus.

"Yeah, well I gotta go guys. Have to get ready, you know there's gonna be some hot, rich guys there." Lex said, and the girls all laughed.

"Take some pictures.!" Macey said, and they all knew what she wanted Lexi to take pictures of. That's right, the hot and rich guys. Lexi laughed and hung up after another goodbye and there was a few seconds of comfortable silence.

"Hey Bex, you still there?" Cammie asked, after a moment.

"Yeah." Bex answered. "I was reading."

Cammie choked back laughter. Bex? Reading? "What're you reading?" She asked, barely restraining her laughter. She could hear Macey let out a laugh concealed as a cough.

"Sprinting techniques. I know we beat them today, but we next time we just have to make it more obvious because _some_ guys can be so _blind_."

Cammie laughed a little at that, they all knew she was talking about Grant. "So are you coming with us?"

"Where? To the mall?" Bex probably had not been listening to most of the conversation..

Cammie nodded, exasperated, "No duh Bex. Were you even listening?"

"No, no I wasn't." Bex admitted. "But yeah, okay, I'll come. Nothing better to do."

Macey quickly took control again, it was sort of getting on Cammie's nerves but she knew she was being irrational. It was just Macey's personalty to take charge of things, even if it wasn't her thing to take charge of. "Guys we can meet at my house in twenty minutes ok? I just need to get changed." Macey said.

Cammie, Bex, and Liz each agreed with the time and place and hung up. Then Cammie sighed, twenty minutes to sit and sulk about Zach. She moved to sit in her desk. She stared at the mirror in front of her and studied her own face. She picked up a piece of paper and a pen and began to write about Zach. She wrote about how she had liked him for a long time, and how happy and protected he made her feel. She wrote about how she had messed it all up being an idiot. She wrote about what she thought about Zach, physically and mentally. She read it all over making marks on it and changing words. She added a few extra lines at the end before folding it up and sticking it in her pocket.

She grabbed her wallet which had her credit card in it and a brown leather jacket. She pulled it on as she walked out the door to the car that she barely drove. She got in the car and sat for a second or two. Then she turned on the ignition and started to drive. She drove down to blocks and stopped in front of a modest one story red brick home. She got out the car, the note burning a hole in her pocket. She took a deep breath and strted up the front walk. She held the note in her hand before dropping it on the front porch. She rang the doorbell and walked quickly back to her car. She got in and started it up just as the door was opening. The car began to move and Cammie never looked back.

Zach was standing just inside his front door watching a silver car drive away from his house, he had never seen it before. He looked down to see a folded up notebook paper with his name on it. Purely out of curiosity, he bent down to pick it up. Underneath his name there was a smaller one, written in cursive. It read _Cammie M._ The I was dotted with a heart.

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_Sorry that this chapter is a bit on the short side guys. So there's a twist, sort of, what will happen to Zammie? Even I don't know lol. Well I have a small idea of what will happen but I will leave you to guess at it :) Next chapter, shopping spree or Zach at home? You choose, or I will do the mall scene kay? PM me or leave a review. Yes I know I'm weird. EmBrAcE It._

_Random fact 10: I cannot stand waiting in lines, I'm really impatient. __Random fact 11: My favorite song from Take Me Home is I would and Little things. __Random fact 12: I have had this account for 2 months now & just decided to make a story lol._

_Review? x_

_-din0_


	5. Chapter 5

Zach stood and watched the car dissapear down his street. He glanced down at the note, studying the way Cammie's name looked in the light. He turned around and shut the door. He glanced up and felt suddenly overwhelmed by the emptiness that greeted him. Grant and Jonas had come over to eat some pizza but they had left about twenty minutes before. He turned the corner and walked slowly into his bedroom, unfolding the note along the way. There were editing marks all over it, but it still managed to look neat. Zach sat on his untidy bed, moved some clothes out the way, and leaned against the wall. He began to read;

_Zach,_

_I know. I know that I really messed up. I just didn't know what to do, I never expected.. that. I know what you're probably thinking, that you never want to talk to me again. I get that, I do. But maybe we can go back to being friends, if you want? I like being friends with you, because you're sweet, and amazing, and the brother I never had. Maybe we can try it out? I just wanted to tell you that I miss you, even though it's only been half an hour, as I write this. I'm always trying to explain my thoughts and feelings but it never, ever works out. I always manage to screw things up, so I'm sorry I screwed_ us_ up. It was my worst mistake. Please forgive me? I know, I know, I know that I messed this up. I _do_ like you, a lot. Maybe just a_ little_ more than friends. Its really hard for me to write this out so I'm sorry if none of that made any sense. I'm just thinking that maybe we can try this "being just friends" thing out. Go back to where we were before. It would mean the whole wide world to me. It really would, because _you_ mean the world to me. I can't say this enough but, I messed everything up and I'm sorry for that. I can't say this enough either, but our friendship means a lot to me so can we go back to where we were before? Text me or something, 782-639-1802. Please Zach?_

_-Cammie_

Zach sighed, gripping the paper tightly in his hands. He read the note over and over again before beginning to think about how he felt. He felt relieved. He thought that _he_ had totally messed things up. He thought that she hadn't denied it, because the idea was so outrageous she wouldn't even adress it. He hadn't been thinking straight, and after she had challenged him he ended up telling the truth.. And he had smiled! He almost never smiled these days. Sure, he would put on a fake grin sometimes, but then again, who didn't?

Zach rubbed the back of his neck and smoothed out the paper. The plain truth was that he didn't know _what_ to do. He knew he wanted to be _more_ than friends with Cammie, but he wasn't sure how to make that happen. He considered calling Grant or Jonas but that would officially make him a girl. He sighed and for the seventh time reread Cammie's note. He took out his phone and programmed her number in. He started a text message but then deleted all of it. He just didn't know what to say.

He was home alone and would be for the rest of the week, because his mom and dad were in Paris living the life. Almost everyone that went to Parker High was rich, and Zach was no exception. He had originally lived in New York but after a huge argument with his parents he had moved into his grandparents house in Los Angeles. He liked it here. His grandparents had died in a car crash a year ago, when they were both 68. He had called and told his parents what had happened -they had been in Egypt at the time- but they hadn't cared. Since then Zach had been living alone, although sometimes Grant came to stay a week or two because of his own family problems.

Zach had been struggling with writing a simple text to Cammie for over half and hour, but he still didn't know what to say. He struggled for another half hour and he finally had come up with this;

_Hey Cammie. I kind of don't know what to say about all of this but I have a few words. Yes, we can be friends again, and no, you didn't mess everything up. And I like you too. Did you have a fun time shopping with Macey, Bex, and Liz?_

Yeah, okay. So he knew it wasn't much. But if he wrote a long paragraph and she replied with _K _or something? That would be horrible. He had figured out they were shopping through his psychic powers though. Just kidding, Grant had told him. He read his message over again and decided he would go with it. He didn't hesitate as he pressed the green send button.

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_Hey guys! HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO MY AMERICAN READERS! :)_

_I know this was short but I didn't have much time to write. I had a thanksgiving dinner to go to, sorry. Anywho, I'm not sure if I got Zach right. He might be a little OOC so I'm sorry about that guys. I do wanna say however that the next chapter will definitely be out tomorrow seeing as I'm almost done writing it. So you might get two chapters tomorrow, look out for them!(:_

_Random fact 13: The number one thing on my Christmas list is a 1D hoodie. __Random fact 14: I don't really like shopping. __Random fact 15: Sean O'donnell. _

_Review? x_

_-din0_


	6. Chapter 6

Cammie fumbled a little with her car keys as she walked up to Maceys porch. She was about to ring the doorbell but the door was opened before she was able to. Macey stood grinning, yet shaking her head. "Makeover time Cammie! I know what you're thinking but I don't really care. It'll only take a little while, I promise." Cammie nodded dumbstruck and followed Macey into her house. It wasn't as if she hadn't been here before but she didn't know what eelse to do but look around and take it all in. So that was what she did.

They started to walk up some stairs and Cammie glanced down at ther outfit. She actually liked it, it was what she'd worn to school but that was irrelevant. She was wearing white skinny jeans, a floral print blouse, and flats. Cammie touched the back of her head to make sure that her hair was still in place then followed Macey into her room. Bex and Liz were already there pigging out and eating ice cream while watching Full House reruns. It looked like Cammie's scence and for that reason she smiled. Bex and Liz had already been made over to look like the sterotypical attention wanting teenagers; ripped jeans and hipster clothes. Macey had already chosen out an outfit that wasn't as bad as Cammie had thought it would've been. It was similar to the others but with a different touch to it. She was still wearing dark washed ripped jeans but her shirt was oversized tattered. On the front were the words; Peace, love, Hipster. And on the back was a heart. She liked it and didn't complain before putting it on, like she would've done with one of Macey's more outrageous outfits. Cammie sat still as Macey did her makeup, but that was probably because she was facing the TV.

After all the makeup was done Macey decided that Cammie's hair was just fine the way it was. _Hallelujah_, Cammie thought. They piled into Macey's car and sang at the top of their lungs all the way to the mall. They were walking through the parking lot when the first thought of Zach crossed her mind. She wondered if he had found the note she left, and knew it was from her. Cammie reassured herself that of course he found it because he had opened the door and she had written her name on it. She mentally shrugged it out of her head and laughed along with her friends.

Together they waltzed into the mall ignoring the stares. Their first stop was Garage, then they hit H&M, and Forever 21. They stopped at Starbucks and all bought caramel white chocolate mochas. They went to Abercrombie, Holllister and Tillys afterwards. They walked around peeking into different stores and having a good time. After almost three hours at the mall it was six pm and it was getting dark outside. They walked, sang, and danced their way over to Macey's car and stuffed all of their bags inside, joking about how no one would be able to remember who's clothes were whose. That was okay though, because they practically shared closets. Cammie still remembered which bags were hers anyways.

When they got to Macey's house they pigged out and ate some more ice cream. Like usual, the McHenry's were rich. They had bought a one story house in Los Angeles before they had Macey, when Senator McHenry had only been the mayor. But, well, accidents happened and Macey was born. The McHnry's raised her with the help of a nanny Mrs. Dabney then moved to D.C. after Macey's dad had been elected Senator. They had left Macey in the care of Mrs. Dabney, who mostly cooked and bought groceries, and did everything Macey didn't do. Macey wasn't as spoiled as everyone thought she was, Macey was just a natural brat.

Cammie had two scoops of mint chocolate chip, one of rocky road, and another schoop of regualr vanilla. She topped it off with two more scoops of mint chocolate chip and added a few sprinkles to her masterpiece. Bex, Macey, and Liz were all right next to her as they laughed and joked around. They all went upstairs and checked Macey's phone for texts from Lexi. There were three pictures of exceptionally cute guys, all taken from covert angles. Lexi's most recent text asked, _Which one?_ Cammie and the others giggled and argued about to before coming to a conclusion. The blue eyed brown haired guy was the cutest.

Cammie turned to Macey, "You've got a thing for blue eyed cuties huh? What happened with Nicky today Mace?"

Macey looked at her with her mouth open in a perfect O, "What do you mean? I was in drama class.." Macey was actually a pretty good actress. Even Bex and Liz looked at Cammie in confusion. But Cammie hadn't said a thing about drama class in the first place.

"There was no mention of drama class McHenry." Cammie grinned evilly as Macey rolled her eyes.

Macey sighed, "I don't kiss and tell guys." She had said the magic words.

Cammie, Bex, and Liz squealed girlishly. Macey rolled her eyes and proceeded to interrogate Bex about Grant, although everyone knew what was going on over there. They liked eachother and were just to arrogant to admit it. They talked about Liz and Jonas, too. Liz blushed the whole time through, stuttering when she talked. It was adorable. They were approaching the end of the line on Liz's situation, Cammie had to make a break for it. she stood up, "Guys I have to get going and-"

Macey reached up and grabbed her arm. She pulled Cammie back to the ground where they had all been sitting in a circle. Cammie sat down again and looked at each of their faces. Macey's mischevious smile, Bex's devilish grin, and Liz's eager face. She looked down and sighed, "What do you want to know?"

Macey pressed the record button on her phone hidden under her bed that she was leaning against. She knew something was wrong with Zach and Cammie. She loved them both and she figured that if she recorded what Cammie was about to say it would make everything better. She knew that Cammie truly liked Zach and he returned the feelings. Macey felt like the mother duckling teaching her little baby ducklings to stay afloat and stay in a line.

Bex flicked Macey's hand subtley and Macey nodded discreetly. Liz and Cammie were sitting clueless, talking about how sweet Zach was. Macey rolled her eyes. First she would need to get Cammie's thoughts about Zach and then how she felt about their fight or whatever had happened to break them up. Macey eavesdropped then nodded and made a comment, smoothly sliding into the conversation. Bex slid herself in with less ease but Liz and Cammie just assumed that Bex had zoned out thinking about sprinting again. So far the plan was going good.

Macey was soon getting bored talking about Zach's personality, but she couldn't be sure how to change the topic to his physical attributes without sounding abrubt. But then again, Macey was already an abrubt person. "Cammie what do you think about his abs?"

Cammie looked at her a little while than said quietly, "They're nice."

That wasn't good enough for the recording to hear. "What? Cammie I can't hear you."

"They're nice okay? I mean, they're good as far as abs go. I, um, I like them. I like Zach more than I want to I just wished I hadn't mes- Um, I just wished that I could get the couarge up to tell him that. What more do you want, Macey?"

Macey sighed. "I guess that's good enough."

Cammie didn't even give a second thought to Macey's comment. She was wondering if she should've told the girls about her car ride home. Maybe she should've but it as a little too late. She stood up and this time Macey didn't stop her. Cammie started to dismiss herself but she stopped. She sat back down and everyone looked at her strangely. "No interrupting okay guys? Just- no talking." Cammie looked each one of them in they eye to let them know she was serious. She knew that they would say she had really screwed up but Cammie didn't really care, she told them the story. She told them about needing Macey's scarf, and how Zach came with her to go get it. How they figured out about Nicky and Macey -she sent a pointed look at Macey, who shrugged- and how they stood in the drama hallway. She told them the story about the car ride, but she didn't tell them about giving him the note. That was too personal, they would probably make fun of her for it.

After her story there was a moment of silence where Cammie stared at the wall, waiting for someone to start talking. Macey spoke first, and in a quiet but firm voice, "Well, Cammie, you did what you could. We all knew Zach liked you from the start it was just that you couldn't see it. I'm sure you'll get back together by the end of thiss week." Macey finished off with a smile and a nod.

Cammie supposed that made her feel a little better but not a whole lot. She really did hope that they were back as friends by Friday. But that proabably wouldn't happen, because she was a massive idiot. Cammie sighed and felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She took it out and her eyes widened as she saw the text, or more like who had sent it. Bex looked at Cammie suspiciously then suddenly snatched the phone out of Cammie's hands. She read it over and then moved it over so that Macey could see it too. Liz, who sat next to Cammie gave her a curious look and Cammie shook her head.

Bex raised her head to look at Cammie, "What's this about? How'd he know we were shopping anyways?"

Cammie smiled sheepishly, "Maybe I sent him a little note. But I don't know how he knew we were shopping." Cammie tried to distract them from the real problem by adding, "Grant probably told him though."

It didn't work. Macey shook her head, "Cammie you seem desperate. I know you are desperate, but you didn't have to show it." Cammie started to talk but Macey cut her off again. "You didn't let me finish. Because you seem desperate, and he texted back, you need to avoid him by not texting back for a while. He'll get confused, which is good. We don't want him to be too comfortable."

Cammie nodded, a little lost. he understood the concept though. Macey handed Cammie's cellphone to Liz, who had been a little lost. Liz glared at the screen like she was trying to analyze it. Cammie laughed a little and took them phone from Liz, who had photographic memory. She would probably have had it memorized by then. Cammie switched off her phone and gripped it tightly, "Mace when am I supposed to text back? Or- Should I just ignore the text? Pretend none of this happened and go back to where we were before?"

Macey nodded appreciatively, "Wow Cam. I didn't know you had it in you. That's a really good idea let's roll with it. Go back to where you were before. Just act like friends and flirt around and whatever you do."

Cammie raised an eyebrow, "We do _not_ flirt around."

Bex gave her a disbelieving look. "Uhm Cam. Yes, you do."

Cammie glared at Bex. "Maybe we do but whatever." She turned to Macey. "I need a scarf now."

Macey nodded and walked to her gigantic walk-in closet. She stopped and turned around. "Well since you're here we could just pick out an outfit for you right now." Her eyes twinkled mischievously, "Something to make Zach feel weird. So it has to be casual, yet flirty, yet it has to be _you._"

Cammie stood up and walked next to Macey. Bex and Liz followed and Cammie said, "I'm taking that as a compliment McHenry. What am I wearing?"

Macey searched for a minute or two while the other three girls talked about Zach and Cammie. Finally Macey turned around holding a thin coral three-quarter sleeve shirt. Cammie nodded and took the shirt from Macey. She changed into it dropping the hipster shirt on the floor. Macey shook her head. "Its not complete yet." She searched around a while more and found a pair of faded sea foam green colored jeans. Cammie sighed and put them on, turning in a circle so that they could see. Macey nodded and added a suggestion, "Curl your hair tomorrow, okay Cammie?"

Cammie nodded because she had no other choice. If she was going to wear her hair down she didn't need a scarf. She changed back into her original clothes that she had worn to school. They went all went out to Macey's car and helped Cammie transfer her clothes into her car. Cammie hugged all of them and smiled, "Thanks guys. See y'all tomorrow."

She got into her car and left. She arrived home in less than five minutes and slowly got her bags out of the trunk. Walking up to her empty house with ten shopping bags made her feel the tiniest bit lonely. Shewent through the door and dropped her rarely used car keys on the kitechen counter. she adjusted her grip on the shopping bags and walked to her room, dropping her bags next to her closet. She went to take a long shower and blow dried her hair afterwards. She brushed her teeth and washed her face. She set out the outfit Macey had given her on the chair in front of her desk, then settled in for sleep. A mound of shopping bags still sat beside her closet, but she didn't really care. She rolled over to face the wall and sighed. It was another twenty minutes before she fell asleep.

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_ Well, this chapter was long, hope you liked it. I was going to stop at the end of the shopping trip but that would've made this a really boring chapter :/ So I continued on to what was supposed to be Chapter 7. What do y'all think of Cammie's plan? Tomorrow it goes into action. Reviews make my happier than a witch in a broom factory. Happier than Gallagher in a farmers market. Happier than a bodybuilder directing traffic. Happier than an antelope with night vision goggles :)_

_Random Fact 16: I'm in a Girl Scouts troop. __Random Fact 17: Last night I watched Spiderman until 1 am. __Random Fact 18: Autumn is my favorite season of the year._

_-din0_


	7. Chapter 7

Cammie woke up a minute before her alarm went off. It was 6:44 and she felt as if she had lost an hour of sleep, even though she had only lost one minute. Maybe she felt that way because today was the day! Today was the day when she would get over her fears about Zach and go back to normal, the way they were before she had screwed up. Cammied layed in bed for the extra minute, even though there was no point. As soon as her alarm rang she turned it off and got out of bed. She followed her daily morning routine, despite the fact that it wasn't just an ordinary day to her. She took a shower and blow-dried her hair like usual. She changed into her outfit and combed her hair. She curled it carefully then put on her daily minimal makeup.

She still had at least 20 minutes before she had to meet the rest of the girls in front of her house. She went downstairs to get some breakfast, but she wasn't hungry. She knew she would regret it later if she didn't have any breakfast and so she ate a cup of yogurt. She sighed and turned on the TV. The only thing good playing was the local news channel. Cammie left the TV on but went back to her room to gather her things. She debated sorting out last night's new clothes but decided not to. She walked back out and put her stuff on the little table next to the front door. She was about to take out her phone to read over Zach's text message when the she heard a name on the news.

"Breaking News on ABC 13, your number one news channel- Rachel Morgan has been identified as the victim of a brutal car crash in downtown Richmond. She is currently in the ER undergoing surgery. She has fractured her spinal cord and probably will not be able to walk again. Family members are unknown, but if you are somehow related to Rachel Morgan please call 782-941-0348 for more information."

Cammie ggaped unbelieving. That could not be right. She grabbed the remote and rewinded to the beginning of the segment. Words flashed through her mind as she tried to get the information through her head. _Victim. Brutal car crash. ER. SUrgery. Fractured spinal cord. Not able to walk again. 782-941-0348._ The phone number flashed onto the screen and Cammie paused the TV.

She blindly dialed the numbers into her phone and pressed the green call button. Out of some thought she walked down the hallway to her mothers room and sat on top of her mother's plush bed. She pulled a pillow onto her lap and gripped it tightly, biting her lip as the phone rang into her ear. After three rings a phone operator picked up. "Hello, this is the line for family of Rachel Morgan. What is your relationship?" He sounded sincere enough but there was a ripple of annoyance in his voice that made Cammie want to punch his face into the ground. Didn't he understand this was a life-and-death situation? And if it was life, didn't he understand that she would never be able to walk again?

Cammie concealed her anger with real concern and worry. "I'm her daughter. When can I see her?"

There was some shuuffling on the other end and then a different voice came through. "Hello, this is Abby Cameron with the staff of Richmond Medical Hospital. I'm sorry for the earlier inconvenience. We're doing everything we can for Rachel in this situation. She is currently undergoing surgery and is in coma. We are almost certain she will awaken a few hours after surgery and will be happy to accompany you during that time. She will be housed at the Richmond Medical Hospital in room 802 after surgery. You will be able to visit her in approximately 2 hours, though she will not be awake until at least 4 hours. I am sorry for your loss.."

"Cammie. My name is Cammie. Thank you for helping." Cammie nodded dumbly, still dumbstruck, and not quite understnading what was going on. Was her mom really in surgery right now? That couldn't be right.

Abby's voice softened, probably hearing the youth in Cammie's voice. Understanding that Cammie was a minor. "Cammie, honey, how old are you?" Abby had been trained for this. Ask simple questions that would get her information.

"17." Cammie whispered, and then repeated it louder again. "I'm supposed to be going to school in ten minutes." She added.

"I understand what you're going through Cammie. Trust me okay? Now, do you actually want to go to school?"

Cammmie immediately shook her head and felt confused when she didn't hear a response. Then she realized that Abby couldn't see her. "No, I wanna go see my mom Abby."

"Ok, Cammie. Do you have anyone that could come pick you up and drive you over to the hospital? I don't want you to drive in your state of mind."

Cammie nodded and thought for a minute. She firstly would have said Zach but there had been that situation last night, and then he had school too. She didn't want him to miss school for her, even if her mom was in surgery. She then thought of her closest relative, who just happened to be her dad's cousin, Coach Townsend. She never really had talked to him, but he had come to her dad's funeral. It was then when she had found out who he was. She ruled him out because she didn't know him all that well as a family friend, just as a coach. She didn't have any other relatives that lived close enough to her to drive her. Her last option was her therapist Joe Solomon. He was immediately her best choice. She was comfortable with him and he had always been there for her. She told Abby that she had gotten a person to drive her to the hospital and would be there in half an hour or fortyfive minutes.

Cammie hung up after her goodbyes with Abby. She sat for a few seconds trying to absorb it all in. Words were swimming through her mind, some concerning the current situation, some concerning her and Zach's situation, and some concerning nothing at all. She was still a little dumbstruck, hoping this was all a dream. She tried to humor her way out of things to tone down the seroiusness but the truth about her situation was taking over. It was serious and it was bad. Maybe Rachel hadn't always been there for Cammie but she was still Cammie's mother and always would be no matter what.

Cammie sniffled and called Joe. He picked up sounding concerned. Cammie had never called him voluntarily before, unless it had been something really bad.

"Hey Joe. Can you drive me to the Richmond Medical Hospital?"

Joe sounded really concerned when he said, "Yeah Cammie, I'll be right over."

Cammie wiped away a tear and thanked him for helping. She texted Macey, Bex, Liz, and Lexi that she couldn't make it to school that day, without giving any reason. Cammie didn't want to think about her mom at the moment. If she did, she would probably burst out into tears, and not stop for two and a half hours straight. Cammie went to her room to sort out her clothes, just for something to keep her mind busy. _Shirt, blouse, jeans, sweater._ It all went into a neat color-coordinated row in her closet. They're house was a big one story house right in the middle of a long street. Then the doorbell rang and Cammie went out to go answer it. Joe was at the door wearing a T-shirt and Jeans, as if he had just come out of bed. Then again, he probably had, it was only 7:30 anyways.

Cammie put her phone and five dollars in her pocket then led the way to the car. The ride to the hospital was silent and felt suprisingly short. Cammie stared out the window the whole time. Her situation just seemed so surreal. She saw things like this on the news everyday, never really thinking about who it would effect. She never ever would have come close to the truth though. It felt sort of funny. Like you didn't know if it was real or not, even though the evidence was right there in front of your eyes.

When they got to the hospital Joe signed them in. Rachel had just come out of surgery an hour ago, and had just started to accept visitors. Cammie felt sad that there would only ever be 2 visitors at the most. Rachel was a beautiful woman, even with the new scar on her hairline. Although her eyes were closed, they were a warm and comforting, yet mischievious and adventurous shade of brown. They sparkled at all times and sometimes held a little bit of green inside of them. Rachel had glossy dark brown hair and nice figure which was hidden under the white hospital blankets. Cammie sat down at her mom's bedside, taking her mother's still hand inside of hers. She had never held her mother's hand since she was young, and it felt strange yet right at the same time. Cammie felt a tear leak out of her eye and she wiped it with her free hand. She glanced around and Joe was nowhere to be found. She was sure he had been there when they first entered the room, though.

Cammie looked back at her mother, who was still tan from all her buisness trips in the sun. Her mom was a contractor that often had worked outside with the construction guys, to oversee the building. When she was at home she would never stay more than a week or two. _Duty calls_, was what sshe would always tell Cammie. And Cammie would always nod. Now, looking at her mom maybe, she shouldn't have always nodded. Maybe had her mom stay for a month or two. She gripped her mom's hand tighter than relaxed herself. She could get through this, and her mom would too.

Her mom was young to have a daughter as old as Cammie, only 44. She was in shape and had no previous illnesses that had premanently weaken her systems. Camie was almost certain her mom could get through this situation. They might loose a little money but cash is nothing compared to a human life. She might even be able to walk again, with some physical therapy. Cammie hoped that she would except the therapy though, her mom was a very self-confident lady, who wouldn't accept charity of any kind. Cammie looked out the window, watching the sun sparkle in the sky.

At the hospital the walls were white and the bed was white. The blankets were white and the chairs were white. Everything was whtie and it gave Cammie the creeps. She could even smell the hospital smell floating throughout the room. She knew her mom would hate staying in the hospital but it was for her own good. The door opened and Cammie turned her head around to see who stepped in.

A young lady, maybe 39 entered. She was dressed like a doctor so Cammie assumed that she was. She was fit, and her eyes blue sparkled in a way that reminded Cammie of her own mom. She had long light brown hair the was cut in layers and at an angle. Cammie felt a slight twinge of jealousy for this women, but it was gone in an instant. Cammie sat staring at the woman, who then cleared her throat. "My name is Dr. Abby Cameron, you spoke to me over the phone. I'm here for Mrs. Morgan's check up."

Cammie moved aside without a thought. Even though Cammie had only just met her she knew that Dr. Abby had a way of talking to people. She made them feel comfortable and protected just by looking at them. A little bit like how Zach made her feel. Dr. Abby made some notes on her clipboard after look at Rachel's condition. She also pressed some buttons on the machines at Rachel's bedside. Cammie studied the machines. Most of them had tubes that connected to her mothers body. It made her mother look feeble and weak. Cammie realized that when her mother woke up, she would be feeble and weak.

Cammie closed her eyes trying to decide what to do. If she stayed at the hospital any longer it would bring back memories of 9 years earlier, when her dad had died from cancer. Cammie felt another tear fall, and another quickly followed. Dr. Abby had left a while ago after checking the machines and Mrs. Morgan's vital signs. Cammie didn't know where Joe had went off to, but he was probably standing outside the door. .Cammie opened her eyes and wiped her tears staring out the window. She wanted to go to school, to behave normally. In fact, outside the window, it looked like a normal day. The sun shined, and cars drove on the streets. But in her mind, it was not normal. She wanted to make it normal. She got up and kissed her mother on the cheek, like her mom used to do to her when she was little.

Cammie walked out of the room to see Joe talking to Dr. Abby at the end of the hallway, not waiting outside like she had expected. Cammie shrugged, and trying to act normal she bought herself some lemonade from the vending machine across the hall from the restrooms. She waited until Dr. Abby had left before approaching Joe. "Can I go to school now?"

He looked a little suprised before nodding. He had learned not to question her motives, because usually it made him more confused. If that was what she wanted, and it didn't hurt her in anyway, he was fine with it. He led the way back to the car and they got in. Cammie turned on the radio, to avoid the awkwardness that came with silence. She sat and played on her phone almost the whole ride back. The only time she didn't was when he had bought her chick-fil-a to eat for lunch. He dropped her off at her house and waited for her to come back out with her school work.

She walked back out of her house with a strained smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. She waved and told him that she could drive herself to school. He nodded but stayed where he was. She looked at him another moment then shrugged, walking to her own car. She drove herself to school and slid her car neatly into the parking lot. She took out the slip that Dr. Abby had given her to excuse her morning's absence. It was lunch time at school but Cammie wasn't hungry, she had just eaten some chick-fil-a. Cammie wondered how her friends would take her presence. They might say she was beingdisrespectful or something by not staying with her mother at the hospital but Cammie had only come back because if she had stayed by her mother's side she would probably have cried her heart out, and then not come back to school for two weeks. If she had been stronger and better at keeping her feeling intact she owuld've stayed at the hoospital. But combined with being overemotional she had the memory of her dad's death hanging over her.

She stood still in the parking lot, locating the cafteria easily. She could faintly see people inside talking, laughing, and eating like it was just another day. It was, in fact, a normal day for most them though. She guessed that more than half of them didn't have the faintest idea the Cammie's mom had been involved in a car crash. Cammie wondered what Zach would think, too. Cammie blew out a breath, reminding herself to act normal in front of him. That was her objective, normalcy. It was hard because she was still trying to process what happened. She was still wearing the outfit that Macey had picked out for her, and this made Cammie feel more normal for some reason. One head in the cafeteria turned to look at Cammie and Cammie started to walk towards the building. She could do this. Mission: Normal.

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_Hello readers(: First I want to say sorry if I got the hospital scenes wrong. I've never been in this sort of situation and I send out my prayers for those who have. This is a twist that popped into my mind last night. and I wanted to try it. You met Joe more in this chapter, even though he didn't say much. You also met Abby. And yes, Townsend is Matthew's cousin in this story. He plays a part later on, a minor part though. Question: Do you want me to include some Joe/Abby or Townsend/Abby? If yes, tell me which you prefer(: I hope you liked this chapter, its pretty long for my standards. I don't write long chapters lol. Sorry, if that annoys you. My updating schedule will become more erratic now though, because my Thanksgiving Break is over. I definitely won't be able to update as often and I don't know if that will affect the length of the chapters yet. Hopefully it won't. That also means I will no longer be able to respond to your reviews because I don't have anough time. I'm sorry about that, but I still love to read your reviews even though I don't have enough time to respond. Keep reading and reviewing, and I'll keep writing for y'all. Sorry for the really long AN but I had get that out there in case you wonder later on. I will try to update every week though :)_

_Random fact 19: I'm really good at math and it's my favorite subject. __Random fact 20: I was #9 on my school's volleyball team. __Random fact 21: My favorite number is three._

_Review? x_

_-din0_


	8. Chapter 8

Cammie started to slow down. She didn't know if she wanted to go to school. Maybe she should just ditch, and go hangout at home or at the mall. Even if she was alone, it might be a bit better than school. Then she strengthened her resolve. she wanted to go to school, so she could act normal. She would nod her head at the apologies, because they didn't really mean it. Some might, and that was good, that was normal. That may be a cynical view, but that was her view. She pushed open the doors and walked to the front desk. She handed the lady sitting there the slip and the lady looked it over. She then glanced up at Cammie and said her apologies for Cammie's mom being in the hospital. That was all the slip had said actually, that Cammie had visited her mom in the hospital. Cammie had instantly liked Dr. Abby for being that generous and sensitvie. Cammie noded, smiled, and thanked the front desk lady. She hitched her drawstring bag on her shoulders more securely. She walked through the cafeteria to go to her locker, and waved halfheartedly at her friends.

She walked faster to get to her locker. She didn't know why though, her brain had automatically told her to walk faster. Cammie remembered a brief science lesson from middle school about adrenaline, and your fight or flight decision. She felt as if her brain has chosen flight, and that wasn't good. She needed to fight htis by being normal. She knew once she got home it wouldn't be so normal. Oh well, if she could live through the rest of school she was okay. Cammie put her bag in her in her locker and slammed the door shut harder than necessary. She calmed herself down a little and began the walk back to the lunchroom.

When she got there her friends were all looking at her sadly and concernedly and she sent a forced smile back at them. She glanced around for a few seconds and found half the lunchroom looking at her as well. She ducked her head and pretended to mess with her bracelet as she walked. She sat down in her usual chair and looked up. She glanced at Bex who usually went into the lunchline with her, but Bex had already gotten food. She looked at Liz then, who smiled and stood up. "C'mon Cammie, they've got ice cream sandwiches today."

Cammie smiled at Liz and walked with her to the lunchline. They chatted a little about random things. It seemed as if Liz knew what Cammie was feeling, and maybe she did. Cammie remembered that Liz had lost her grandmother only a year before. She felt a rush of gratitude for Liz as the stepped into the lunch line. All of a sudden Cammie felt stares directed at her. She ignored them and continued to talk to Liz. She glanced at the food choices they offered. Most people thought that cafteria food was totally and completely disgusting and maybe that was true at other schools. But not at Parker High. They served food like a good quality fasat food restuarant, if such a thing existed. Thay had good quality food and types of food that people would actually eat. The cookies weren't stale and the pizza wasn't rubbery, it was just good quality food. Cammie thought this came from the money they got from the athletics department, and from rich parents like the Walter's and the Bauer's.

Cammie and Liz talked about the race they had run yesterday against the boys and then Liz switched the topic to the history project that was due in two days. Cammie zoned out a little bit, thinking about who knows what. She sure didn't know, she must've been just plain out of space. Liz talked the whole time back to the lunch table about their science project that was given out that morning. Macey and Bex looked at her and smiled again. Cammie smiled back and took a bite out of her cheeseburger. She ate a few french fries then looked back up. Macey and Bex were still staring at her, and Liz was still talking about school things. Cammie decided to start her own conversation, because it seemed that no one else wanted to. Even the guys were eating silently. She looked at Bex and mentioned that she though that she maybe had taken one of Bex's shopping bags, even though she knew she hadn't. Bex didn't fall for it, but Macey did.

Macey began to talk and Liz stopped talking. This was almost normal but not quite, because Bex was still staring at her. Cammie fished through her binder a little then pulled out a paper with the snapshot of Cammie and Zach crossing the finish line yesterday. She had printed it out the night before when she had gotten home to give Bex, and she was thankful she had. Bex grabbed it suspiciously and glanced at it. Her eyes widened and she pushed Grant's food out of the way slapping down the picture on the table. Cammie smiled as they began to argue. Now _that_ was better.

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The normalcy didn't last long though. Cammie's friends acted normal for the rest of the day, though they would occasionally send worried glances at her. Then Cammie would smile and they would go back to talking. Sometimes Zach would look at her too, and she would smile again. It killed her when he turned back around though. She didn't want it to be normal with him. She knew she needed to let it out with someone but she couldn't because there was no one there for her. It was a long day at school that day, even gym was uninteresting. They ran hurdles and then talked about track season starting soon. Cammie zoned out through the talk and through Macey redoing her hair. There wasn't much to do, just a few adjustments. They talked all the way to their lockers and to Bex's and Macey's car. Cammie got into Bex's and Liz got into Macey's and they dorve home, just like usual.

Cammie and Bex talked about the race on the way home. Well, more like Bex ranted about the Coach Townsend being bias and Cammie listened and nodded. She had told everyone about Coach Townsend being her dad's cousin, of course but they had probably forgotten. It had been when she had first met them, about two years earlier when they had been freshmans. When they got to Cammie's house Cammie thanked Bex and Bex's gaze softened. Bex apologized and Cammie knew it was from her heart. Cammie smiled and her eyes teared up. She hugged Bex and got out the car. Waving for the first time instead of walking straight up to her house. Bex waved back, then drove off slowly. Cammie's tears didn't fall though. She kept them inside that whole day, until she got into bed.

She had done all her homework and the makeup work that Liz has gotten her. She had started on the science project and worked a bit on their history project. She made herself some dinner like she usually did, this night it was Hamburger Helper. She had done her daily routine and gotten into bed. She looked at the ceiling thinking about Cliche again, but this time she knew the answer. She honestly didn't know why because just the day before she had been debating pros and cons of being Cliche. But today something inside of her just told herself that no, she did not want to be Cliche at all.

She wanted to think about something less depressing and so she thought about Zach. She thought maybe he liked her but she wasn't sure. She tried to think more about him but tonight she wasn't in the mood to think about that for some reason. In fact, she didn't know what to think. She wanted to think about her mother. Would she be okay? Would she be able to walk again? Cammie didn't want to think about those things, she wanted everything to be normal again. She sighed and turned over so that she was laying on her stomach, and pulled the blankets around herself tighter. She sighed again and then fell into a fitful sleep.

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_OK, chapter eight! Sorry it took a while, and most of my chapters won't be up as quick as this. This chapter is actually pretty short but hope you liked it(: How Cammie's dealing with it and all. Not much Zammie at all but I'll try to get some in the next few chapters. I didn't revise or edit or proofread this so I'm sorry if there are some mistakes. Review!_

_RF 22: I'm on the cross counrty team at school now._

_RF 23: I wish I signed up for offseason instead, though._

_RF 24: I love all my followers, favoriters, readers, and especially my reviewers!_

_So yeah, leave a review, lol(:_

_-Meghan :)_


	9. Chapter 9

Cammie opened her eyes instantly. She didn't know why, her alarm hadn't gone off. In fact, it was still dark outside. She turned over to look at the clook and found that it was only 5:07, she usually woke up at 6:45. Cammie tried to go back to sleep but she couldn't. She tossed and turned for forty five minutes before giving up. She stared at the ceiling just like she did every night and thought about life again. She realized how fast the day before had gone. It was like a blurred image in her mind. She couldn't even remember half the things that had happened, only the big things. Watching the news, Joe driving her to the hospital. She didn't even know why she couldn't have driven herself. In that blur of a moment it hadn't even occured to her that she could drive. It was like she had taken a sleeping pill and had slept through all of yesterday, and it was all a dream. She wished it was a dream, she wished so hard. It never was though.

Cammie turned over onto her stomach and buried her face into her pillow. It muffled the sounds she made when she cried. It was all becoming too much for her, she couldn't take it. She had to let it out sometime. She cried through the sunrise she knew her mother would want her to enjoy. but she couldn't. Her life was such a mess, she didn't know where to even start to make it better. There was just a big tangled web of issues in her head, and she couldn't take it in that moment in time. She cried until she got it all out, then she sat up and wiped her nose. She was suprised at how normal she felt. Then it all began to confuse her, because at the moment it was the most tangled her web had ever gotten. Why would she feel normal? She shook her to clear those kind of thoughts. Normal was good, she wanted normal. SHe didn't need those confuising thoughts getting in the way or Normal.

She was jolted out of her thoughts by her alarm clock ringing and she immediately shut it off. She wanted to sit and think a little bit more, but that wouldn't be Normal. Cammie reminded herself again that she wanted Normal, and then she went to perform her daily morning routine. She came down the stairs with her school work done and a smile on her face. The smile didn't wuite reach her eyes though and it was apparent to anyone who looked. Cammie had woken up with dark circles under her eyes, which she had covered with concealer and makeup.

She ended up being downstairs early and she grabbed a big breakfast to eat. A cinnamon bun and pancakes with syrup. She still ended up with time on her hands. She went to turn on the TV to the news like she had yesterday, but she stopped herself. If she did she would see more depressing stories about car crashes and kidnapping and murders. It would make her feel sad because she had gone through it herself. And however cold-hearted it seemed, Cammie didn't want to feel sad, because that was not Normal.

Cammie swallowed her last bite of pancaake then met her friends at the front walk. The ride to school was just like any other day and that made Cammie happy. They walked into school and Cammie only felt a few eyes on her, that made her smile even more. She talked with her friends until first period, then her and Bex walked with Zach to class. It was almost like any other day, but there was an uncomfortable silence between them. Bex talked most of the time, but Cammie and Zach never said more than a few words. Cammie wanted things between them to be Normal, but it could never happen again, she had screwed up too badly.

She sighed and went to class. The rest of the day was a blur but she remembered apologies, sad smiled, laughter with her friends. Gym was a blur too. She could barely remember what they had done. All she remembered was running. They had done long-distance and ran 5 miles. She had spent that time thinking over her life and who she wanted to be. She knew she didn't want to be cliche, and it felt like a relief to figure that part out. She didn't know what she wanted to be though. Normal, different, weird, special. All she knew was that she wanted to be unique, she wanted to be herself.

Her and Bex drove home in silence and Cammie walked to her room stuck in her thoughts. She couldn't figure out how to be unique. She thought it was because she didn't know who she was yet. If she figured out who she was, everything would make more sense. She couldn't do it alone though. She needed someone to help her find herself. She had a gut feeling it was Zach. With his protectiveness, and his crooked smile, and his bright green eyes. Cami did her homework in a blur, not even thinking about it. She didn't know what to do with Zach. She needed him, but everything was in a mess. Her web had just gotten more tangled.

Cammie made herself some dinner and ate quietly watching more Full House reruns, trying to cheer herself up. It never worked though, she could only think about Zach two blocks down. Or her mom laying in a hospital bed. Cammie only was able to finish half of her dinner, and so she stored the rest in the refrigerator and went to take a shower. Showers for her were like thinking places, where no one could bother her and the water pounded soothingly on her back. Today she focused on the water and tried not to think about anything bad. It worked for a while, and she felt relaxed and content inside. But when she got out and dried her hair she looked in the mirror. She saw herself of course, but she sasw past herself too. For the first time, she looked at herself like a different person would. She asked herself the question, _if she met herself in a different life would she like her?_ Maybe all the other students that gave her glares had the right to. She didn't know what to think anymore. She got into bed after changing into her pajamas and stared at the ceiling. This time, she studied its flaws. Through her thinking time she had learned that everything has flaws no matter how small. It really is all in the eye of the beholder, to look past the flaws and see the good things inside. Maybe Cammie had too many flaws and they covered up the good things.

All of a sudden Cammie felt really insecure. Like she really should have to cover up her face with a brown bag so people wouldn't have to look at her. Like she shouldn't go to school and just stay home all day. Half of her wanted to see how people would react, but the other half wanted to do it just to get away from everything. Cammie didn't know what to do, she was getting lost in her web. She blocked it out for a second, and decided she needed sleep. She could figure things out in the morning. Cami rolled over like she did every night, and fell asleep.

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_Hey guys! Sorry for the shortness and the late update. Thatnks so much for all of your reviews(: We hit 50 on Chapter 8! I can't do the RF anymore because of time issues but I will try every once in a while. Sorry Call Moi Crazy. I have to go now, so bye!_


	10. Chapter 10

When Cammie woke up the next morning her mind was suprisingly clear. She shut off her alarm and went to take a shower. For an odd reason instead of getting buried under her messed-up thoughts, Cammie felt sure of herself. She knew her priorities for the day and that was good enough for her. The past was the past, and today was a new day. She knew she wanted to be friends with Zach, she knew she wanted to go and visit her mom, and she knew she wanted to have a good day in general. She realized how clear cut life could be sometimes, but if you think about it too hard it becomes messy and unreadable. Cammie blow dried her hair in front of the mirror, like always, but this time she didn't look for the bad in herself. She didn't look for the good in herself either, she just looked at herself. It may have been a weird thing to do, but she didn't care at that moment.

She found herself thinking about how people in school had found out about her mother. Some people must've been watching the news in the morning like she had, and the rumor must've gotten around. Combined with the fact that Cammie was late to school that day, they probably assumed it was true, and it was. They probably also thought Cammie was heartless because she hadn't stayed with her mom at the hospital for the whole day. In all honesty Cammie didn't know how she felt about other people's opinions of her. She knew she needed to ignore them but they got to her anyway. Words hurt, no matter what people think.

Cammie pulled on an outfit not really thinking. At the same time she didn't want to think because that would confuse her some more. Just twenty minutes ago she had been clear and precise. Cammie metally shook her head and cleared her thoughts. Be friends with Zach, visit her mom, and have a good day. She repeated her priorities to herself over and over whlie eating a small breakfast. Those priorities were what she wanted out of the day, and that was that. She didn't want to figure out who she was, that would come naturally in time. She texted Macey, Bex, Liz, and Lexi that she wanted to drive herself to school that day. To have some peace of mind, but she didn't tell them that. She told them it was so that she could visit her mom afterschool, and it partially was.

She got all her stuff organized and texted back to Zach. It seemed like two days was so far ago, but it wasn't in reality. She typed in a few words telling him she'd be at school early, but not replying in answer to his first text. True to her word she got into the car and drove to school. She enjoyed the peace of mind that she created and smile the whole way there. She arrived 15 minutes before she usually did and then was confronted with the problem that she didn't have anything to do. She glanced around looking for Zach. She had assumed he would come because she had basically told him to, and maybe that was a bad thing. Cammie checked her phone again and found out that he had replied. _Ok, I'll be there._ Cammie sighed with relief and scanned around for him again.

There were a few people out and about but no Zach. He had replied about ten minutes before, and it shoud take about ten minutes to get to school. Cammie started the walk to school, because obviously he wasn't hanging in the parking lot like she had been expecting. She walked to her locker and was in the process of opening it when she spotted Zach walking out of a classroom. She pretended to not see him when she saw he had noticed her and continued to open her locker. Her efforts were in vain though, because as soon as she opened it, he slammed it.

"Zach! Why would you do that?" She spun around to face him. The tiniest bit suprised that he was laughing.

"You should've seen your face, Gallagher Girl. It was priceless." He smirked at her after the laughing died down and she turned to begin opening her locker again. She was a little annoyed, but happy that she and Zach were once again friends. Maybe she wished for more but if friends was all that was possile at the moment, she would take it.

She smiled back at him and sucessfully managed to open her locker. She stuck her hand in quickly to grab her books, because she knew he wouldn't dare slam it if her hand was inside. She then took her sweet time gathering her things, then picking up random items only to drop them back down again. She heard him huff annoyed, and she turned to use his signature smirk. "Something wrong Zachy?" She smiled sweetly.

He rolled his eyes, "Nothing at all, Cameron." He smiled as she shut her locker with an annoyed look on her face. However she quickly trasformed it into a smile that genuinely reached her eyes. Without meaning to, Zach smiled back. There was an effect Cammie had on him, and he didn't know how to really explain it. It was just that every time he saw her, his world would brighten up in a way he couldn't explain. He sometimes wondered what his life would've been like without Cammie, but usually he brushed it out of his mind. She was here and that was all that mattered.

They spent the extra five minutes they had left talking and laughing. It was starting to feel more like their normal friendship again, and that made Cammie feel good inside. One priority down, two to go. She turned her science project that was due that day and felt confident about it. When she turned it in the teacher had looked it over and smiled. That was a good sign, right? Without meaning to her mind would often zone out and began to wander. Mostly thinking about Zach and her mom. She hoped that her mom would be in good shape when Cammie came to visit.

Lunch was good, and gym was too. It could've been better though, concerning the fact that she had to run 6 miles straight, and Grant the superhuman teased her for being a 'wimp'. She tried to push him over a lot, but he was too strong for her. The pushing (and the laughter that came with it) took a lot of the energy out of her, but she still managed to stay in the front of the group. She felt proud of herself afterwards, and was smiling as she walked to her car. Next was time to go visit her mom, and she wanted it to go perfect. As cynical as it seemed, it would make the whole day perfect, and then she would be happy. She got into the car and started the engine after putting her bags in the shotgun seat. She waved to her friends as she drove out the parking lot, and started the long drive to the hospital.

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_Hey readers :) This was a pretty long chapter for me, so I hope that you liked it! Cammie's got her priorities in check, only because I recieved a review saying the person hoped that Cammie got her feelings straight soon. Sorry, if you didn't like that, but you didn't review so I can't take your opinion into account. Also, I've gotten feedback about Abby couples, so Joe and Abby it is! Sorry, Townsend lovers. He will still be in this story though. Question of the day: How do you feel about Nacey? Btw I'm doing QOTD's instead of random facts because these are easier to think of, lol. Is it bad that I can't think of stuff about me? And I'm still pissed that Swifites trended #directionersdeservecancer. Ok, no one deserves cancer and it's a horrible thing to say that someone does. Taylor even sang a asong about a little boy named Ronan who had cancer. I'm disappointed in those Swifites who trended it, and thank you beliebers who trended #directionersarebeautiful. Have a great day and review :) Love y'all._

_-din0_


	11. Chapter 11

Cammie drove along the highway leaning slightly against the window. She looked around for a fast food restuarant, because she suddenly felt hungry. Maybe it was because of nervousness. She spotted a chick-fil-a and bought herself some food and a drink. She was back on the road in a few minutes, chewing on fries. She drove to the hospital and found the closest open parking spot. Unfortunately, it wasn't nearly as close to the doors as she had hoped. She finished her food and got out the car, bringing the iced tea she had bought with her. After making sure she locked the doors she started the long walk. It was getting a bit chilly and Cammie felt relieved she had chosen warm clothes that morning. She knew that the inside of the hospital would be pretty cold, too.

She opened the doors and felt the rush of the air conditioning on her face. She stepped inside and let go of the door, hearing the soft thud of it closing behind her. She walked up to the front desk, hesitant because she hadn't ever done something like this before. Someone else would always do it. In fact, the last time been at the hospital Joe had signed them in, while she had stood dumbly looking at her surroundings. She mentally shook her head then told the lady at the desk her name and her mom's name too. She told them her mom's room number and they let Cammie leave, even showing her where the elevators were. Cammie slowly walked over, starting to worry. It might've been nothing but she felt as if something was going wrong. She hit the up botton for the elevator and silently got in when it arrived. She tried to calm herself the whole ride up, but she still felt uneasy.

She shrugged it off as she walked to her mother's room. She threw away her empty cup of iced tea in the first trash can she saw. Now the only thing she was holding was her cell phone. She gripped it tightly in her hands as she walked into her mother's room, prepared for anything. She thought.

Sitting next to her mom's bed was none other than Coach Townsend. Cammie stood silently, in shock. They were talking as if there was nothing wrong, and to Cammie that was an abomination of a sort. From what she understood out of her dad's words, Townsend wasn't that trustworthy of a person. In a nutshell, her dad had said that Townsend and him had made a promise, and Townsend had broken it. It must've been an awfully big promise though, because from that moment on Cammie's dad wouldn't ever talk about Townsend, and when the name came up he would quickly change the subject.

Cammie swallowed nervously as she walked in. It wasn't until she dropped her keys and phone on the little table set up that they noticed her. The turned simultaneously, and Cammie cringed for some odd reason. Townsend awkwardly smiled at Cammie and she stared back at him in shock. She vaguely felt her mom's disapproving look. His smile dropped and he put on what you could call a professional tone, "Well, it's been good talking to you Mrs. Morgan, but I'm afraid I have to go now." He nodded at both of them, glancing at Cammie for a second. She sent him a forced smile and watched him walk out the door.

As soon as he left Cammie turned to her mom, who was still sending Cammie disapproving looks. Cammie sat down and smiled at her mom. She half listened to her mom's short lecture about being nicer. That was the thing; her mom never got mad for long. She would give short lectures and disapproving looks, but she never held a grudge. It was almost like she went to sleep every night and cleansed her mind and started fresh every morning. Cammie thought about how carefree her mom was all the time. Even after going through a severe car crash her mom was still up and smiling. Cammie wished she was like that, not caring about other's opinions and just living her life. It was hard though, to just ignore opinions. Someone had once told her that people weren't ever happy because they wouldn't let go of the things that made them sad. At the time Cammie hadn't understood but she did now.

If she ignored bad opinions, forgot all the things that made her sad, and stopped dwelling over all the bad things would she have a better life? She knew the answer would be yes, but it was easier said than done. She had never tried something like this before, but she wanted to try sometime soon. She realized that over the past week she had learned a lot about herself, and who she was. She had messed herself up and was slowly straightening herself back out again. She might even end up better than before. She blinked and snapped out of her thoughts. Her mom was staring at her as if she had just asked a question and was waiting for Cammie to answer. "What was that?" Cammie asked.

Her mom shook her head, "Oh, nothing."

Normally Cammie would have questioned her mother further, but today she wasn't in the mood. She leaned back in the chair that Townsend had been occupying earlier, and closed her eyes. She wanted to ask her mother about her teen years. Had her mom ever gone through an identity crisis? She decided not to though, too afraid of it becoming an awkward situation. After a little while she opened her eyes again and went to open up the blinds that had been closed when she came. When she did she noticed the sky was getting darker. Cammie looked around for a clock, the one on the wall read 5:24. It was getting late, if she left now it would be 6:30 when she got home. Cammie turned to her mom and said her good bye's.

As Cammie walked to her car she thought a little bit about that new idea, about just living your life and ignoring bad thoughts. It seemed like the perfect solution, but thinking about it was easy. Doing it would be the hardest part. She drove home in silence and made herself a small dinner. She ate it slowly, listening to the radio. She pondered on the idea while taking a shower and when she got into bed she turned to face the ceiling like she did every night. She thought more, and she thought long. She thought so much her thoughts became a confused web again. She sighed and turned over, falling into a restless sleep.

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_Hey readers :) Don't hate me, but this chapter is pretty short. I also have finals week next week where I have to take a bunch of semester exams, and this week I have writing benchmarks so sorry about the late updates. Also, I probably won't be updating next week either, because of testing and all. I might update that weekend if you guys are lucky. The QOTD is still Nacey or no Nacey because I didn't get enough feedback on the last chapter. Also tell me if you don't like Nacey do you like Preston and Macey. Love you al but reviewers you get four candy canes. You go reviewers, and none for non-reviewers. Bye!_

_-din0_

_PS: for those that didn't get it, go watch Mean Girls. Nowww. And then review :)_


	12. Chapter 12

Cammie woke up 20 minutes late the next morning. She didn't know why, because her alarm said that it had gone off. She decided to stay in bed, wasting precious time, just trying to figure things out. What was going on with her mom and Townsend? What was she going to do about it? A cloud briefly blocked the sun's light, darkening her room for a moment, snapping Cammie back into reality. She got up, going through her closet rapidly. She ended pulling out a pair of light blue skinny jeans, a long sleeved white crop top, and a pair of black lace-up boots. She knew she didn't have time for even a quick shower, so she compromised by washing her face and brushing her hair extra thoroughly before she applied her make-up and straightened her hair. She grabbed a few Fiber One fruit bars and her binders from the kitchen. By the time she was done getting ready her friends were standing on her front porch, eagerly smiling. Cammie suspiciously stared at them, slowly chewing her bite of fruit bar.

Macey grabbed Cammie's hand pulling her to the car that was parked next to the curb. Cammie stumbled along, tightening her grip on the three fruit bars she had grabbed, afraid she would drop one. Bex, Liz, and Lexi followed right on Cammie's heels. Macey "politely" shoved Cammie into the car, while Bex and Liz followed. Lexi slid neatly into the shotgun seat and Macey started the car. After a few minutes Cammie had polished off her first fruit bar, beginning to unwrap her second. "What's this all about guys?" They all smirked knowlingly at Cammie as she sat, wide-eyed and clueless.

Bex's chocolate eyes shined mischieviously as she sang, "That's for us to know, and you to find out!" Cammie rolled her eyes at Bex's antics and took another bite.

Lexi smiled laughingly at Cammie, "I take it you woke up a little bit late."

Cammie rolled her eyes again as Macey chimed in, "Cammie it's so obvious. Here use this," She said as she tossed her makeup bag blindly at Cammie. You would've thought she'd be more careful with her things, Cammie thought.

Out of curiousity Cammie peered inside. She saw a mirror, a tube of mascara, and liquid eyeliner among other things. After shuffling things around a little she found there was also loads of blush and foundation, complete with about twenty different brushes. Cammie pulled out just the mirror and mascara, appyling the extra bit she needed to cover up the last hint of blondeness on her eyelashes. She curled it with Macey's lash curler, then dropped everything neatly back into Macey's make-up bag. She shut it and looked at it for a second. It was a solid hot pink and Macey's name was written on it boldy in black Sharpie. She compared Macey's bag to hers and laughed silently as she tossed it back up to Macey, who shoved it into her purse, not missing a beat.

Liz and Bex had been chatting about who knows what the entire time while Lexi drew on the whiteboard they had put placed in the glove compartment a year before. Lexi caught Cammie looking and turned the board so that Cammie could see. She smile mischievously as Cammie took in the drawing. It was Cammie and Zach as stick figures, and the lyrics to One Direction's _Rock Me _written to the side. Cammie's mouth hung open in disbelief. Her eyes met Lexi's and Lexi smirked obnoxiously, "Shut the door Cammie. You're letting all the flies in."

Cammie shut her mouth dumbly then threw her leftover Fiber One wrappers at the picture. The wrappers flew in the air for a few seconds before dropping to the floor, joining the rest of the trash at their feet. Lexi laughed and erased the drawing, throwing the marker playfully at Cammie. She caught it and glanced at Lexi before turning her gaze to Macey, the devious grin on her face unmistakable. Macey had been talking non-stop, ever since they had started the drive, about how she could give Cammie an extreme makeover and Cammie would never regret it. Lexi nodded at Cammie, equally devious. Cammie elbowed Liz subtly as Lexi started to sing loudly.

Cammie silently undid her seatbelt, sliding slowly over to the right, where Bex was sitting. Liz and Bex stifled a laugh as they figured out the plan. Cammie uncapped the marker and exaggeratingly found her aim. Squinting, she pointed the marker straight at Macey's perfectly smooth and unblemished cheek. She stifled a laugh at the same time taking a breath. She threw the marker, and chaos broke loose. Cammie, Bex, Liz, and Lexi burst out in laughter as Macey's hand slipped, hitting the horn causing the loud noise to blare. They earned a few stares from other drivers as Cammie scrambled back into her seat, clipping on her seatbelt acting innocent. Macey parked frantically in the nearby gas station. She scrambled for her mirror yelling at Cammie the whole time. Macey eventually cleaned off the black marker using wet towels, then they spent extra time so that she could re-apply her make-up to that one spot. Lexi and Bex teased her relentlessly for obsessing, but Macey countered saying, _better safe than sorry._ Cammie didn't even know how that applied to their situation at hand.

By the time that the girls got to school they were a couple minutes late, and the only students still outside the building were a few guys hanging around the wall kicking rocks. They all got out of the car, joking and laughing like the teenage girls they were. Cammie pulled her drawstring bag out the car and followed Macey and Bex into the school. She talked with Lexi and Liz as they all headed to their lockers, joining the crowd of people inside the school halls. That morning almost seemed too normal to be true, and Cammie didn't know whether to be happy or sad about it. She methodically opened her locker- 21, the age she wanted to be. 17, the age she was now. And 11, the age she was when her whole world had tipped upside down.

The locker slid smoothly open and Cammie shoved her drawstring bag inside after removing her books that she needed for the day. Cammie all of a sudden had the urge to run. Out of the school, back home. She didn't even know what she would do at home, but she wanted to go back, regardless. She mentally shook her head, blinking rapidly. Joining Zach and Bex, she headed to her first class of the day, convinced everything would go fine. And it did, especially gym.

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As soon as she walked in she felt Coach Townsend's eyes on her. She ignored his stare as she walked into the locker room with her friends. Splitting away from the boys, they talked and laughed about random things. As they talked Cammie's mouth tugged up into a smile. This was the way it was supposed to be, her mom's car crash was just a setback, and eventually things would go back to normal. Her mom would get better, her and Zach's relationshp would get better, her days would be better- and maybe, just maybe, she would figure out who she was supposed to be.

Cammie pulled on her gym clothes and running shoes, then stretched with Bex and Lexi as they waited for Macey, who was obsessing over her simple ponytail. Cammie sometimes wondered why Macey obsessed so much, she always looked perfect anyways. As they walked out of the locker room and into the gym, Cammie again felt Coach Townsend staring at her. Apparently quite a few people had noticed. While Bex chattered excitedly about their course that day (4x400 relays), Lexi leaned over to whisper in Cammie's ear, "Is there something wrong with Coach Townsend, or is it just me?"

Cammie looked over at Lexi and shrugged, "I don't know what his problem is honestly, but it's not just you." She threw a big, obnoxious wink at Lexi, who rolled her eyes. "It's definitely not the first time that you've imagined something." Cammie laughed openly at Lexi's not-so-amused expression and they walked together to the edge of the track to stand at the back of the crowd gathered in front of Coach P. He explained what they were doing that day, but Cammie tuned him out as she already knew what 4x400 relays were. Apparently she wasn't the only one daydreaming because as soon as she let her eyes drift over to Zach, she found him staring right back at her. Something different was glinting in his green eyes, and she wasn't sure what it was. She smiled at him and he smirked back. What a surprise, Cammie thought sarcastically. She stuck her tongue out at him and turned back to face the field, smiling at her own immaturity.

As soon as they split off into their groups she felt the same nervous excitement that came with a race, even if it was onyl a practice one. For a strange reason she wanted to beat Zach- not only to see the look on his face when he lost, but to show Townsend she wasn't just a little girl anymore. Everytime she spoke to him he would look down at her, speaking with a snobbish attitude that annoyed her more than she would admit. She felt as if she won she would be proving a point to him, at the same time winning a point for herself and her dad. Coach P. had put her into the anchor place again, and he had placed Bex as starter, Lexi as the second leg, and Macey as the third leg. The boys were in the same order as well. She lined up off to the side of the starting line after wishing Bex good luck. She high-fived Macey and Lexi as she walked by to take her place in the anchor spot of the line.

Getting off her nervous-excited high, she switched into competitive mode. She stood next to Zach silently, occasionally nudging him playfully, trying to distract herself from the race. Bex had taken off quickly gaining the lead, even if it was only a few feet. Lexi and the other second lueg runners took their place on the track and Cammie moved up, still standing next to Zach. Bex sprinted faster as she approached Lexi and Lexi began a slow jog. As soon as Bex reached her she stuck out her hand and they executed a perfect textbook baton hand-off. Cammie formed a fist as she yet again moved up. Macey took her place next to Grant, looking strangely small. Cammie sent her a reassuring smile and Macey turned to glance back at Lexi.

Cammie didn't know why she was so focused on this race, maybe just because of Townsend. Sometimes she wished she wasn't related to him, and that she didn't know him at all. But then her mind would reel off-track, thinking of all her other wishes. That her dad never died, that she never was diagnosed with anorexia, that she never lost all her friends, that she never made an enemy of Amber Toting. The most recent one being her mom never getting into that fateful car crash. Cammie again mentally shook her head as she got onto the track, watching Macey speed off into the distance, then rounding the curve of the track. Her and Grant were neck to neck by the time they approached the halfway point.

Cammie turned to wish Zach good luck, and for the first time he crookedly smiled back at her and wished her good luck too. Or more accurately, he had told her that the best one would win, but that was wishing her good luck only not as straightforward. This thought had Cammie smiling as she started a slow jog, feeling Zach do the same right next to her. As soon as she heard Macey's hard footsteps and breathing Cammie stuck her arm out, feeling the cool metal pressed into her hand. She grabbed into and took off in a blur. She vaguely heard Zach cursing under his breath as him and Grant fumbled with the hand-off. It hadn't lost them much time, only a few seconds, but Cammie knew that could make or break the outcome of this race.

Boosted with confidence she sped up, already halfway through the race. She could see the curve of the track coming ever closer, and soon she was running on the very piece of land she had been looking at only a few moments ago. She felt Zach coming up closer behind her, gaining the distnace he had lost over his lousy hand-off. Soon enough she only had 100 yards to go, the finish line was so close she could almost taste it. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Zach running fast, almost balancing out with Cammie. The other anchors were only a few inches behind. Cammie could hear all the yells of her friends, just like the last race, but this time she could see Coach Townsend staring. He was standing off to the side of the finish line, his arms crossed, holding a clipboard. She couldn't tell but she had a gut feeling that his eyes were narrowed, almost as if he was challenging her.

Cammie felt her competitiveness spark even more, willing her to run faster, faster than she ever had before. She could hear her labored breathing in the back of her mind, she could feel the fatigue in her muscles, but none of that slowed her down. In fact, it made her sprint faster. The finish was just a couple yards away now, her and Zach were neck-to-neck again, and she could hear his harsh breathing. She saw her own arms slicing through the air, the metal baton gripped tight in her fist. She could do this, she _would_ do this. Cammie sped up, it wasn't noticeable but she knew she did. She could feel it in her heart, in her mind, in her legs, in her soul. She had crossed that finish line first, and in a way, she had proved Edward Townsend wrong. _She had proved him wrong._

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_Hey readers :) Managed to get this done over the weekend, and it's actually pretty long. I'm such a procrastinater, haha. I've barely studied. And just so you know, if I fail my finals it's your fault :) Anyway, this actually concerns the story- I'm probably going to give this story 20-30 chapters. Everything's starting to wind down now, so I'll be done maybe during January or February, because Christmas break I will write a lot. QOTD stillllll is Nacey or no Nacey. Holding off Macey's love life (or whatever you want to call it) until I've figured everything out. So far things are leaning in favor of Nacey. Second QOTD (because I have two questions for y'all) What do you think will be good for Lexi? Single pringle, Trey, Nicky (if you aren't for Nacey), or a new character? If you're for a new character try to describe this guy for me, kay? :) Happy Finals Week to meeeeeeeeeeee! Love all of my readers, don't forget to review. Oh, and the girls' surprise will be revealed in the next-next chapter. The next one has a twist in it.. Peace out, girl scouts!_

_-din0_


	13. Chapter 13

This running day, for Cammie, felt different than all of the others. She felt more alive than she had ever had before, she felt like she could do anything nad beat anyone. Like she was unstoppable. When she passed that finish line, she knew she had done something that she had thought about for a long time. Proving Townsend wrong. He always thought he was so much better than Cammie and her parents because he had money, a lot of it. In reality, he hadn't earned that money. While Cammie's family worked for every dime they owned, Townsend had been born rich. Half the reason he had gotten a job at Parker High, the most elite school in the district, was because of his wealth. Though he never said or implied it, Cammie was pretty sure that he was "donating" money to the school board to keep his job. It wasn't like he did anything important, just sat on the sidelines taking notes and keeping score when needed.

As a little girl, Cammie only knew the basics of why Townsend wasn't someone to have dinner with. She understood that her dad and Townsend had gone through school together and were separated at college, but that was all. She was told that Townsend had broken an important promise but she never understood why his deed was still hanging around. Forgive and forget, right?

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Cammie sat up uncertaintly. Her vision was blurry but she managed to make out bland beige walls, a window with feeble sunlight shining through, and a tall clear glass of water on a table next to her bed. She reached her hand out to pick up the water, only to find her arm wrapped in a makeshift cast. She shrugged, it wasn't new to be injured. It happened in basketball all the time. She picked up the water, gulped it down quickly and set the glass back down. Her vision cleared up considerably and she took in her surroundings more clearly. She was wearing a hospital gown, and she was in a clean room jampacked with flowers. Flowers on the couch, on the table, next to the couch and at the foot of her bed. She shakily turned so that her feet hung off the bed, her pale feet looking misplaced against the polished wood floors. Carefully placing her feet on the floor Cammie took a few unsturdy steps, testing her balance. She knew she wasn't hurt very badly, but for some reason she felt dizzy and sore. Her throat hurt and her stomach ached badly. She sat layed down on her bed and pulled up the covers again. Closing her eyes, she fell asleep.

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Cammie woke up in what felt to her a minute. The sky was dark now, the moon shined through the sky and the stars sparkled brightly. There was a clock on the wall telling Cammie it was just after midnight. Cammie felt oddly reassured by these things as she got out of bed and walked to her own private bathroom. She felt suprisingly normal as she picked up the tooth paste and tooth brush left there by a nurse. She brushed her teeth and stared at herself silently in the mirror. Cammie glanced at the shower to find it surprisingly clean and stocked with shampoo, conditioner, and soap. She shrugged to herself and decided to go ahead and take a shower. _What's the harm?_ She thought as she turned the water on.

After her shower she tied up her hair in a quick bun, feeling refreshed. Walking out the door, Cammie was all set to look through the magazines set next to her glass of water, but something caught her eye. It was a red file folder sitting on the small circular table next to the door labeled _Patient Files._ Cammie slowly picked it up, feeling the smooth texture on her fingers. She brought it over to her bed, setting it on the blankets as she climbed in. She tucked her hair behind her ears and flipped open the file after turning on the lamp. Cammie glanced through papers filled with big words, numbers, and her mom's signature and finally found the one she wanted. It was a simple paper, words only filling half the page. It was titled _Patient's Evalution_. Cammie took it out and began to read the few sentences printed.

**Hairline bone fracture- Plaster cast (any color) for 3.5 weeks.**

**Dehydration- Ingest 39.4% more fluids than average for 1 week(s).**

**Anorexia- Possible re-diagnosage, see file for further details.**

Cammie swallowed nervously. Anorexia? Further details? She knew that she had been a former anorexic, but that was it! _Former._ Now they were saying she had been re-diagnosed with it? She fidgeted nervously thinking about her last few meals. She had skipped having a good breakfast, settling for fruit bars, and she had eaten a small lunch that day. A few pieces of chicken and that had been it. Combined with her fatigue from running her race she understood how they would think she was anorexic, but they were mistaken. Slightly reassured by this thought Cammie flipped through the papers again, looking for the "further details" they had mentioned. She found a paper with no title containing a few sentences and pulled it out of the stack.

**Cameron Ann Morgan privately diagnosed Anorexic 2007. ****Reported to have recovered by private doctor Dr. Joeseph Solomon, no longer Anorexic. ****Possible Anorexia re-diagnosage as of January 2, 2013. ****Morgan's symptom(s) include: ****weight 30 lb. below average, ****recent dramatic weight loss (source- Rachel Morgan), ****compulsive dieting (source- Rachel Morgan). ****Possible diagnosage will be viewed during January 4-6.**

Cammie leaned back, stunned. She knew she had lost weight, but dramatic weight loss? That was an exxageration. And to make it worse, her mother had reported this? How would she even know, it wasn't like she was home with Cammie. If she was away all the time would she know Cammie's weight or diet? How would she know anything about Cammie's life? Cammie was almost positive that her mother didn't know who Macey, Bex, Liz, and Lexi even were. She probably thought Cammie was a die-hard go big or go home singing geek, just because when she was younger she had been obsessed with singing- belting out lyrics at the top of her lungs. Now, as Cammie fumed silently, she realized that Joe had been more a part of her life than her own mother. Cammie didn't know what that meant, but she knew that showed her mother hadn't been the best of mothers.

Something unknown startled Cammie out of her thoughts and she jolted, looking around curiously. There was nothing strange in the room but Cammie got up anyways. The doctor or nurse might come in and how would she ever explain all of the papers scattered on her bed? She stacked them into a pile as neatly as she could and slid them in the folder again, making sure that no papers were peeking out around the edge. She carefully placed the folder in the same position as before, and walked back to her bed.

As she layed down she sighed. Just when she thought life was getting better, it only got worse. _The calm before a storm_, Cammie thought. She had never really understood what that meant, but now she did. It was almost as if life was just waiting until things calmed down before shaking it all up again. Cammie rolled over pulling the blankets more securely around her chin. Thinking that maybe if she just stopped trying to fix everything herself, things would find a way to get better on their own.

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_Wow, thank God Haylor is over. Sorry about that. Anyway, I'm really really really really really sorry I didn't post at all durin Winter Break, even though I promised to post a lot. I got really caught up in the holiday spirit haha. So I hope you liked this chapter I had half of it written in 2012 and I finished today so it's two different years :) That was a bit random.. QOTD: What are your New Years Resolutions? If you have them. Mine are to stop being lazy and procrastinating all the time. And to eat less, but that's not going to happen because I love food. I think it's good I joined cross-country lol. Well Happy Late New Years and review! _

_-din0_


	14. Chapter 14

When Cammie woke up the next morning the first thing she noticed was Townsend. He was sitting on the couch watching the television, which he had turned onto the Channel 8 News. Cammie blankly stared at him, wondering what he was doing in her room and who had let him in. She was lucky that he hadn't noticed she was awake yet. She took the small bit of time to figure out what she was going to do, and due to the fact that she had just woken up and wasn't able to think straight, she settled with a "Hi, Coach Townsend."

He turned with a jolt, realizing she was awake. "Call me Edward." He said, a little bit too friendly for Cammie's liking. She wrinkled her nose at the thought of being in a first name relationship with her gym coach. That wasn't going to happen anytime soon. After Cammie didn't reply Townsend continued, "Your mom sent me to come check on you. She isn't allowed out of her room yet, although she is recovering rapidly."

Cammie nodded hesitantly, then before she could stop herself she blurted out, "Why did she tell the doctor I'm an anorexic?" As soon as the words were out of her mouth she regreted them. She wasn't even supposed to know about the papers, was she?

Townsend blinked at Cammie for a second or two, then composing himself he told her firmly, "She told Dr. Smith what she knew, not that you were anorexic, Cammie. You shouldn't assume such things about Rachel." Cammie cringed again. Since when had her mother and Coach gotten on a first-name basis? That was just plain scary.

Cammie rolled her eyes and turned to the television, scanning over the text at the bottom of the screen. "You can leave now." She said in a monotonous voice. "I don't need you here." She watched him nod out of the corner of her eye as he got up. She continued to stare at the screen when he walked out the door, determined to ignore him.

"Maybe you should try to be more open, Cammie. You can't keep everything bottled up inside you, because sooner or later it's all going to come out. He said"And it's not going to be the pretty." With this he walked out, shutting the door quietly.

Cammie rolled her eyes but she couldn't help the gut feeling that he was right. She was keeping all of her confusion, sadness, and anger inside of her. She could feel it pushing at the seams, just waiting to come rushing out. And like Townsend had said, it wasn't going to pretty. At all. She actually wanted to let it all out, but to who? No one would understand... Macey would tell her to suck it up, Bex would give her a pep talk relating to her experience with sports, Liz might give her sympathy and a theory of how to fix everything scientifically, and Lexi would listen then go off on a funny story about herself to try and cheer Cammie up. Cammie didn't know who exactly to turn to, but thought that maybe Lexi would help the most. Cammie needed a laugh at a time like this.

Cammie sighed, grabbing the remote and flipping through the channels available. The hospital had cable, so Cammie settled for a kiddish Disney show. She zoned out, the sounds of the kids laughing on the TV fading. She stared out the window watching a flock of birds fly across the horizon. She wanted to talk to Lexi the next day, but she wasn't sure how to. Just sit and spill it all out? That would never work.

Sometimes Cammie wished she could start the year over, pretend the past week never happened. That she hadn't messed up with Zach, that her mom hadn't gotten into that fatal car crash, that she hadn't just passed out after running her race (from lack of food or otherwise...), and that she never ever was going to be diagnosed with anorexia. Cammie was startled out of her thoughts by the sound of a door opening. Bracing herself for another visit from Townsend was pointless, as it was just the nurse. As she stepped in, Cammie read the cheery yet experienced-looking lady's badge, _Mrs. Dabney. _Cammie smiled hesitantly at the older lady.

In just a few seconds Mrs. Dabney began to talk, gushing about all the flowers and notes that Cammie had been sent, but Cammie couldn't care less. She just wanted to see the doctor who had diagnosed her with anorexia. Then she could get things straight with him and go back home. The uninterest seemed to show on Cammie's face, because Mrs. Dabney's voice lost an ounce of its cheerfulness. "Well, Cammie, you have the choice of eating in the residential cafeteria or having your lunch brought to your room."

Cammie forced a smile, "I'll have it brought up here if that's okay with you." Mrs. Dabney nodded and smiled again, her bright green eyes shining. She obviously enjoyed her job a lot. Cammie smiled back, her smile a little less forced than before. "Thanks, Mrs. Dabney," She said.

As soon as the door closed Cammie found herself smiling. If she had been given the choice of the cafeteria her body must not be as weak as she had thought. Maybe she would be allowed to leave soon. A few minutes later a plate of lukewarm turkey and buttered corn was given to her along with a fork, a spoon, and a glass of lemonade. She gulped it down hastily, glancing at the door every once in a while, not really paying attention to her food. When she finished she placed her plate to the side and pressed the small blue button like she had been told to.

In about ten minutes a man in a white coat who Cammie assumed was her doctor walked through the door. Cammie tried to subtly slide her gaze to his nametag, but he quickly covered it with his clipboard. When Cammie met his eyes, the were sparkling. Cammie was taken aback at his behavior, it seemed so playful compared to the older doctor that had first diagnosed Cammie with anorexia. She found herself liking this doctor more than she ever thought she would, considering he was the reason for her extended stay.

They chatted amiably for a few minutes and Cammie learned that his name was Dr. Smith. She was thinking this might actually go okay until the dreaded moment came. "Cammie, I have reason to believe that you might be an anorexic. Does this mean anything to you?"

Cammie likening to Dr. Smith almost disappeared entirely. _Does this mean anything to me? _Of course_ it does! This is my life we're talking about! _Cammie supressed her thoughts, barely managing to keep her face straight. "Yeah, Dr. Smith. It means quite a lot to me." Cammie subconsciously laced sarcasm into her tone, immediately regretting her words.

He grimly nodded. "I thought it might, Cammie. We are thinking of running a few standard tests and if our predictions are correct you can either go back to your private doctor, or pay for one of our own doctors to visit every Friday at 5:00 PM."

Cammie scowled openly. She was not liking Dr. Smith anymore, not at all. It sounded like he was already sure that Cammie was anorexic, and was just being nice to her because he had to. Looking over at him Cammie took in the messed-up-but-not-too-messed-up hair, the eyes that were laced with a bit of artificalness in them, the too wide smile. She nodded to herself, Dr. Smith was officially a typical shrink. She wouldn't ake into consideratoin anything he said from now on. As coldhearted as this sounds, Cammie knew she was making the right decision. The last time she had listened to one of these people she had almost gotten depression- an extremely unlikey thing for a 13 year old.

Dr. Smith began to talk again but Cammie tuned him out, watching the TV instead. When she realized he had stopped talking Cammie asked, "When am I leaving here?"

Dr. Smith looked surprised and Cammie laughed silently. "Well I suppose once we get you a proper cast you can leave, although you are scheduled to come back this weekend for screenings."

Cammie nodded. "When can I get my cast on?" She asked, not making eye contact. If she did, she might believe that he was being sincere, when he really wasn't. That was the thing about shrinks, they were all amazing actors. Not only at poker faces, but being able to fool you into believing that they were sincere. But Cammie was experienced, she knew liars when she saw them.

"Possibly this afternoon." Dr. Smith said. When he recieved no response he awkwardly nodded. Standing up he grabbed Cammie's plate and slipped out the door. Once it shut Cammie could her him muttering to himself. Cammie smiled, this might not be so bad after all.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

_Hai. I think I'll be posting a chapter a week from now on. Also, a bunch of people are confused, so I'm going to try and clear things up: Cammie fainted after her race because of dehydration. When she was taken to the hospital they did some tests and out found that she was_ way_ below the average weight, and when they went to talk to Cammie's mom she told them about Cammie's extreme dieting and weight loss. So now Dr. Smith thinks Cammie has anorexia, but she doesn't think so. _

_Anyway, I'm going to write a new story soon. It's gonna be completely AU and the only characters that are going to be in it from the GG series are Cammie and Zach, but they might have different personalities. I already know the plot and I'll start writing it when I finish this. QOTD: books or nooks? Thanks for reading, please review!_

_- din0_


	15. Chapter 15

hey readers. idk if i want to keep writing this story anymore, i sort of lost the inspiration. if i do there'll be maybe 2-3 weeks inbetween chapters. idk yet but i'm really busy. mondays i have homework overload, tuesdays is cross country. wednesday i have to study bc basically al my test are on thursday. thursday is my only free day in which i have about 1-2 hours, which is usually interrupted by people. fridays is my night of "azbnsgurjfphuebhrgkijtsbhfih eoji" meaning idk what the heck happens on fridays. weekends i'm mostly busy. maybe 30 minutes here and there. so yeah, that's my life right now. sorry that i can't update and all. not that anyone cares.. so have a good day [tomorrow] :)


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